Chinese spend less on hotels, still flash the cash

Despite the massive purchasing power Chinese tourists have shown overseas, a recent survey found travelers from China paid less than those from elsewhere for their hotel rooms in more than half of the countries contacted.

The report, conducted by hotels.com, a leading online accommodation booking website with almost 200,000 properties around the world, found most of the discounts in Europe, triggered by the troubled situation in the eurozone, according to Jessica Chuang, its senior marketing manager for Greater China.

Chinese travelers came fifth among the biggest spenders abroad with an average outlay of 1,069 yuan ($172) a night, according to the report based on bookings made on the website and prices paid by each customer per room per night in 71 cities.

The Japanese again spent the most away from home at 1,177 yuan followed by the Australians on 1,098 yuan and US citizens on 1,079 yuan.

In Europe

The Swiss were the highest-paying Europeans at 1,075 yuan followed by Norwegians at 1,055, Russians at 1,014 yuan and the British at 998 yuan.

The report found that the Chinese spent 414 yuan a night more on average when traveling abroad.

According to Global Blue, the largest tax-refund and shopping services provider, Chinese shoppers' tax refunds reached a historical high of 24.4 billion yuan in 2012, a strong surge of 58 percent from the 2011 figure. The average trade through tax refunds in Europe and Asia is about 7,122 yuan per person. Expenditure on luxury items contributed to between 60 and 70 percent of overseas purchasing.

Global Blue's survey overestimated the buying power of Chinese tourists overseas, with only 5 percent of them visiting Europe and the rest traveling to neighboring countries and regions where they spend much less than in European countries, said Jiang Yiyi, a researcher with the International Tourism Development Institute at China Tourism Academy.