中国游客海外“买买买”兴趣渐失

买遍全球的中国游客一直是海外零售商们眼中的香饽饽，但最新的调查显示，中国游客对购物的热情正在冷却。“买买买”不再是游客出境旅游的首要目的。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

lure饵，诱惑[lʊə(r)]

diminish减少，变小[dɪ'mɪnɪʃ]

plunge投入，骤降[plʌndʒ]

disposable可丢弃的，支配的[dɪ'spoʊzəbl]

duration持续时间，期间 [dju'reɪʃn]

typify是……的典型['tɪpɪfaɪ]

Shopping no longer the priority for Chinese tourists（593 words）

By Tom Hancock

Chinese tourists flocking to European and Asian capitals in record numbers this summer will be spending less on shopping and more on dining and sightseeing as overseas travel becomes more mainstream and the lure of foreign prices diminishes.

Retailers across the world have come to rely on Chinese tourists but the proportion citing shopping as their main travel motivation plunged to one-third this year from more than two-thirds in 2016, according to an annual survey by booking site Hotels.com and Ipsos.

“For the first time in history, shopping is no longer the prime reason for [Chinese] international travel,” said Abhiram Chowdhry, Asia-Pacific vice-president for Hotels.com. “The cliché of Chinese travellers only being shoppers is reducing. It seems like they want more experiential travel.”

The latest annual survey of Chinese tourists by consultancy Oliver Wyman found that while the average amount spent on an overseas trip rose slightly last year to Rmb20,000 ($3,000), shopping expenditure per trip fell to roughly Rmb6,700, from Rmb8,050 in 2015.

The decline is a consequence of the growing number of Chinese travellers, analysts say. As overseas travel becomes more mainstream, the average disposable income of travellers has decreased.

“It's become mainstream to the point that there's lots of different Chinese travellers, as you have with other countries,” said Hunter Williams, a Shanghai-based partner at Oliver Wyman, adding: “This should be taken as a wake-up call. You need to be prepared for a Chinese traveller that is not only interested in shopping … They want experiences.”

The findings are echoed in a forthcoming FT Confidential Research survey that found that spending on shopping as a percentage of average trip expenditure fell to 37 per cent this year from 47 per cent in 2013. The amount spent on accommodation, food and entertainment rose from 31 per cent to 44 per cent.

Zhu Yingbo, a 24-year-old from Chongqing who recently travelled to Thailand with his partner, is typical of lower-income younger travellers who are increasingly heading abroad. “We barely spent money on shopping, either me or my girlfriend,” he said.

There are no official figures on the number of Chinese people travelling abroad, but Beijing says last year its citizens took 122m overseas trips, including to Hong Kong and Macau, an annual increase of 4 per cent.

While 82 per cent of overseas trips are to Asian destinations, long-haul trips to Europe and the US have increased 25 per cent and 12 per cent respectively in the past year, according to Hotels.com.

Higher prices for luxury goods in China once pushed shoppers overseas but companies are “harmonising” their prices globally, and border checks on tourists carrying multiple goods into the country have intensified, boosting domestic spending.

The rising proportion of spending on hotels is partly explained by the fact that Chinese people are extending the duration of long-haul trips. Chinese travellers to the US spent an average of 16 days there last year, up from nine in 2015, according to Oliver Wyman.

Tour groups — typified by long lines of tourists with matching hats following a flag-waving guide — have dominated China's travel industry for decades. But the popularity of the groups is diminishing as people travel abroad more often.

Young people in China's biggest cities have had more exposure to overseas culture, and many are choosing to travel without groups.

Jane Sun, chief executive of Chinese travel agency Ctrip, told the Financial Times that independent travel was the fastest-growing category in the largest cities.

“The young generation speaks English and they can go abroad on their own,” she said.

1.unter Williams believes the reason why shopping expenditure of Chinese travellers decreased is____.

A.lower-income travellers increased as overseas travel becomes more mainstream.

B.Chinese travellers has to spend more spending on hotels and dining.

C.more and more travellers choose Asian capitals as their travel destination.

D.Chinese travellers want more experiential travel as the lure of foreign prices diminishes.

答案(1)

2.Why does the lure of foreign prices diminishes?

A.Because Chinese official has intensified the restrictions on personal overseas spending.

B.Because Chinese people now prefer long-haul trips, which makes carrying multiple goods inconvenient.

C.Because Chinese official imposes extra tax on tourists carrying multiple goods into the country.

D.Because luxury companies are harmonising their prices globally and border checks have intensified.

答案(2)

3.Which of the following statements is true according to the article？

A.The average amount spent on an overseas trip fell slightly last year.

B.Long-haul trips to Europe is more popular than trips to the US.

C.Overseas trips to Hong Kong and Macau increased by 4 per cent last year.

D.Tour groups have dominated China's travel industry for decades.

答案(3)

4.According to Jane Sun, why do many young people are choosing to travel without groups？

A.Because independent travel enables them to have more exposure to overseas culture.

B.Because young generation speaks English, which makes travelling abroad easier.

C.Because most tour groups serves for tourists who shop a lot.

D.Because independent travel allows them to have more flexible travel schedule.

答案(4)

(1)答案：A.lower-income travellers increased as overseas travel becomes more mainstream.

解释：Hunter Williams认为中国游客购物花销降低是因为出境游在中国越来越普遍，游客的平均可支配收入降低。

(2)答案：D.Because luxury companies are harmonising their prices globally and border checks have intensified.

解释：由于国内奢侈品价格较高，中国游客曾经涌向海外大肆购物，但现在奢侈品公司正在平衡其商品在世界各地的标价，并且中国海关对携带大量行李入境的游客的检查也变得更加严格。

(3)答案：D.Tour groups have dominated China's travel industry for decades.

解释：跟团游是几十年以来中国最流行的旅游方式，但现在现在渐渐不那么受欢迎了。

(4)答案：B.Because young generation speaks English, which makes travelling abroad easier.

解释：Jane Sun表示，年轻一代会说英语，可以独立出境旅游。