Who will be the most valuable tourist in 2019?

I believe that every traveler is a valuable asset to a destination. The United States contributes to international tourism by spending roughly 33.7 billion dollars a year on travel. To break this down, according to the US Travel Association, the American traveler spends $4,200 when they travel and spend an average of 18 nights when they travel. This has increased immensely over the last years as the average American has increased their disposable income in the last 10 years.

Although the US is a large contributor to destinations across the globe, they are not predicted to be the most valuable tourist of 2019. That tourist is going to be the Chinese tourist! According to an analysis by the Washington Post, the Chinese Tourist spends an average of $6,900 per person on each trip and is predicted to exponentially grow as the middle class increases in the country.

In analyzing the tourist segment, the Chinese are looking for quality experiences that last a minimum of two weeks. When looking into these quality experiences, they are willing to spend more in order to ensure that level of comfort. What this means is that they are open to upgrades on travel packages as well as tour and hotel experiences. With this news, hoteliers and travel companies are excited, competing with each other to gain leverage as well as the business of these tourists.

The value of the Chinese tourist has become so strong that companies have begun adapting their services to attract Chinese visitors. Some of these adjustments are hotels providing special breakfast options for tourists, providing tea and slippers in the guest rooms. Competition to catering to the Chinese tourist has become so strong that Destination DC, Washington DC's destination marketing organization, developed a certification titled "Welcome China" which certifies that service market segments including Attractions, Hotels, Restaurants, Service Providers, Shopping, and Transportation, all provide measures to support the Chinese tourist.