It’s no secret Chinese travellers are preferred in destinations the world over for their luxury shopping habits. Global Blue recognizes the trending behaviour of this important travel group, with the Chinese edition of its Globe Shopper Report. The report was compiled using data from more than 27 million duty-free shopping transactions and the polled opinions of 5,000 frequent Chinese travellers.

After two years of growth, Chinese duty-free shopping finally fell 24 per cent compared to previous years in March. The report attributes the decline to changes in Chinese travel caused by new visa demands, the recent European terrorist attacks and the Chinese New Year falling earlier in the year. Travellers are also considering new destinations and reducing their spending due to the weakened yuan. However, despite the 24 per cent decrease in duty-free shopping, Chinese travellers remain the largest group of duty-free shoppers in the world, making up a third of all global sales, with 81 per cent of all Chinese travellers shopping at some point during their travel, with a budget of around 25,902CNY per trip to Europe and 18,398CNY per trip to Asia.

In regards to travel alone, May is expected to be the year’s prime Chinese travel month to destinations in Europe, Japan and South Korea. Forty-one per cent will visit Europe in 2016, with the top destinations France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and Switzerland. October will be the most popular travel month to visit other Asia Pacific destinations, including Hong Kong and Australia. This is due mostly to the dates of two major Chinese holidays: Labour Day (May 1–4) and Golden Week (Oct. 1–7).

When picking destinations, Chinese travellers are looking for a variety of offerings to feed their shopping habits. A good selection of malls and shopping parks with famous brand stores is the most important aspect, with many travellers also preferring destinations where they’ll find items at a better value than they would in China. For a smaller percentage, destinations famous for fashion, such as Paris and Milan, are top choices, especially to shop for designer brands originating in the city.

Chinese travellers also appreciate brands and shopping venues that cater to Asian travellers specifically. Top perks desired when shopping abroad include the ability to pay with China Union Pay or another Asian currency, a Mandarin-speaking staff, in-store WiFi and gifts for Chinese customers.