Carat China, a dentsu company and the world’s leading media agency, has recently published its highly anticipated report titled “Reconnecting Chinese Travelers to the World”, in collaboration with Ctrip. This comprehensive study analyzes the Chinese outbound travel market based on historical booking data from Ctrip and delves into the evolving preferences of Chinese outbound travelers, offering valuable insights for brands seeking to adapt to these changes.

The report takes a fresh approach by organizing its findings around three key questions: "who to capture," "what to create," and "where to dive." Different from traditional demographic analysis, Carat China introduces the innovative concept of the 5P understanding, encompassing demographic populations, psychographics, travel preferences, media practices, and content prompts. This innovative approach offers brands a comprehensive and refreshed perspective to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese outbound travelers.

In this new analytical framework, the report emphasizes the need for media strategies to extend beyond mere touchpoints with platforms driven by immersive experiences. Brands are encouraged to enhance the customer journey by elevating the overall travel experience, transitioning from a layered media funnel to an omni-comms approach, to capture and generate consumer demand, streamline the consumer journey, boost sales conversion, and elevate brand awareness.

The Carat Outbound Travel Report highlights four pivotal moments in the travel process: dreaming, planning, booking, and experiencing. Leveraging the power of the 5P understanding, it identifies and categorizes China's mainstream outbound travelers into five distinct tribes: the fresh safarist, experience hunter, elite connoisseur, family joy, and shining silver, providing customized media strategies and touchpoints tailored to different target groups. And Carat has also leveraged dentsu's extensive data sources and integrated marketing capabilities to create a one-stop travel solutions planning framework. This framework enables brands to effectively engage and capture Chinese outbound travelers at every stage of their consumer journey. By integrating data-driven insights and utilizing cutting-edge digital tools, Carat China provides brands with a comprehensive solution to connect with and secure the loyalty of Chinese outbound travelers.