Shopping tours are becoming increasingly cultural
2024-11-08
The 2024 Shopping Tourism Industry Development Forum was recently held in Shanghai. This forum is jointly organized by the China Tourism Research Institute (Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) and the Bicester series. The China Tourism Research Institute has released the "Report on the Development of Shopping Tourism in China" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"), which is the first report on the domestic shopping tourism industry, comprehensively interpreting the current development status and future trends of China's shopping tourism industry. Food, accommodation, transportation, travel, shopping, and entertainment are the six elements of tourism activities, and shopping has become an important component of people's overall tourism experience, accounting for a relatively high proportion of tourism consumption. The World Tourism Organization considers shopping tourism as a modern form of tourism, where tourists consider their shopping needs when making travel decisions. Shopping is gradually becoming an important part of tourism consumption and a significant source of tourism revenue. A special survey by the China Tourism Research Institute found that nearly 95% of respondents shop while traveling. In addition, tourists have a strong initiative in shopping, with over 70% of them having shopping plans when making travel decisions. More than half of the tourists reported that over 20% of their expenses were spent on shopping. Compared to domestic tourism, the overall cost and shopping expenses of outbound tourism are higher. The report points out that travel souvenirs and gifting to friends and family are the main purposes of tourists' shopping. Nearly 40% of tourists shop during their travels as a "travel souvenir", and over 30% of tourists shop as a "gift for family and friends". The proportion of tourists shopping for "collecting" and "making friends, Tiktok, microblog, small red book, Kwai, etc." is also high. Tourists prefer products with commemorative significance and cultural characteristics. Tourism commodities with local characteristics (including handicrafts, tourism food and various cultural and creative products) are the first choice for tourists to shop. At the same time, nearly 70% of tourists choose to buy clothes, shoes and hats, jewelry, watches, cosmetics, perfume, etc. Innovative tourism products with tourism commemorative value and local cultural characteristics, social media recommendations, service attitude, clear product pricing, shopping environment, leisure atmosphere, etc. are the main factors affecting tourists' shopping decisions. Experience local life and culture. Currently, tourist shopping destinations exhibit diverse characteristics. Mainstream retail venues such as commercial districts and specialty markets are the main shopping destinations for tourists, with a quarter of tourists choosing to shop in these areas. Tourists pay more attention to cultural experience, and cultural and creative parks, scenic spots, cultural tourism and commercial complexes, and cultural and museum venues have also become the main places for tourists to shop. Discount shopping venues such as shopping villages, duty-free shops, and outlets are also popular among tourists. The report points out that the trend of experiential consumption has gradually shifted from "tourism shopping" that used to only focus on purchasing goods to "shopping tourism" that regards shopping as an experiential activity. Composite shopping places are gradually developing into independent shopping tourism destinations, moving from shopping to leisure and cultural experiences. Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Research Institute, stated that consumers not only pursue the practicality of products, but also attach greater importance to the experience, cultural value, and emotional connection in the consumption process. The same goes for tourists' shopping and consumption during their travels. Tourism shopping is no longer a simple consumption behavior, but an activity closely related to the tourism experience. Unlike daily shopping that focuses on the functional attributes of products, tourism shopping has significant emotional and social attributes. In addition to purchasing locally distinctive tourism products, tourists also have fashionable shopping during their travels. There is still a lot of room for improvement in tourists' satisfaction with the purchased goods, shopping services, and places, and they have higher requirements for the cultural characteristics of the goods, shopping experience activities, and leisure space. The report points out that shopping is not only a consumption behavior, but also a local living experience. For tourists, shopping is not only about purchasing products and souvenirs, but also about exploring and discovering the destination. Shopping is a way for them to understand and experience local life. Cultural experiential shopping activities themselves are an important way for tourists to deeply experience local culture and life. For example, in Yunnan, tourists can not only purchase authentic Pu'er tea, but also participate in tea culture experiences, learn about the tea making process and tea tasting techniques. This model that combines shopping with cultural experience not only enhances tourists' desire to purchase, but also strengthens the attractiveness of tourist destinations. Creating a richer new business model, Bicester Suzhou Shopping Village is designed based on the story of traveler Marco Polo, full of rich European style. Tourists can not only shop here, but also participate in various cultural and artistic activities. During this year's National Day holiday, the number of visitors increased by 20% year-on-year, and sales increased by 21% year-on-year. It is reported that the 12 shopping villages in the Bicester series are located in world-renowned tourist cities and are well-known shopping and tourism destinations, attracting tourists through various experiences such as shopping, dining, and cultural entertainment. Mark Isriel, Co Chairman of Weitai Group China, said, "The Bicester series is committed to creating shopping and tourism destinations, deeply cultivating the Chinese market for ten years, and continuously improving the shopping and tourism experience through localization and innovative strategies. In the future, we will continue to maintain close cooperation with industry partners such as airlines, hotels, and travel service providers to jointly promote the high-quality development of shopping and tourism in China. Currently, many core shopping and tourism destinations such as shopping malls, cultural and commercial complexes, shopping villages, and commercial districts have launched cultural experience activities such as art exhibitions, cultural performances, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and food, highlighting the irreplaceability of offline experiences, and have achieved good results. Some retail venues have become new urban landmarks and shopping and tourism destinations. The 14th Five Year Plan for the Development of Tourism Industry clearly proposes to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional commercial complexes into cultural, sports, business and travel complexes, create new cultural and consumption gathering areas, promote the construction of national cultural and tourism consumption pilot cities and demonstration cities, support time-honored enterprises to settle in commercial districts and tourist attractions, open flagship stores and experience stores, and improve the quality of tourism shopping. The report points out four directions for building shopping tourism destinations in the future: strengthening cultural experiences, highlighting distinctive features, retailers need to focus on long-term and localization, and deeply integrate cultural experiences with their own unique history and regional culture; Pay attention to the tourist group, improve the quality of experience, understand the latest needs and feedback of tourists, and adjust and optimize services in a timely manner; Strengthen upstream and downstream supply chain cooperation in the tourism industry, develop experiential shopping tourism routes, and improve the weak shopping links in the current tourism industry value chain; Continuously promoting digital transformation, continuously improving the convenience of offline shopping based on digital technology, and further enriching the shopping experience. Dai Bin said that shopping tourism is a new driving force and path for building a strong tourism country and improving the modern tourism industry system. The construction of world-class tourist destinations should include shopping, consumption, and other life scenes in the category of tourist attractions, truly achieving "near and far, shared by hosts and guests". The tourism industry is a happy and livelihood industry, and it is necessary to establish more beautiful and high-quality new benchmarks for shopping and tourism, and promote the formation of more diverse new formats for shopping and tourism. (New Society)
Edit：He ChengXi Responsible editor：Tang WanQi
Source：
Special statement: if the pictures and texts reproduced or quoted on this site infringe your legitimate rights and interests, please contact this site, and this site will correct and delete them in time. For copyright issues and website cooperation, please contact through outlook new era email：lwxsd@liaowanghn.com
Recommended Reading Change it 
Home
