As today we celebrate World Environment Day, we’re taking a brief look at the growing interest Chinese independent travellers have in nature when travelling abroad.

Different people choose different ways to enjoy their travels. Among those who seek to experience nature, many travellers choose adventure travel as they want to get away from the city and not only reconnect themselves with nature but also get a thrill. Chinese independent travellers are no different, and an increasing number of them look for an active experience when they go abroad.

Different types of adventure travel

Adventure travel typically involves going to a remote location, interacting with unfamiliar cultures and undertaking some kind of physical activity. Adventure travel can be separated into two categories: “hard” adventures and “soft” adventures. While “hard” adventures often include intense and occasionally dangerous activities, such as paragliding or bungee-jumping, “soft” adventures may attract people who are not such risk-takers or want a lighter experience, such as biking, birdwatching, hiking, sailing, kayaking, or simply visiting a national park or a safari.

Chinese travellers, nature, and adventure travel

Chinese independent travellers all have a strong interest in authentic and unique experiences in common. Most of them prefer to experience local culture through exploring the local urban lifestyle, but some go for more adventurous trips as they want to get close to nature: according to the Walter Thompson Intelligence research,30 percent of Chinese travellers surveyed had experienced adventure travel and 45 percent are interested in doing so. Climbing and hiking are among Chinese travellers’ favourite activities while on vacation, data from the 2018 EU ChinaTourism Year report has revealed. Still according to this research, amongst the most frequent keywords used in popular Chinese travel review platform Qiongyou, “hot air balloon”, “hiking”, “highest point”, and “paragliding” are in the top list. A huge number of WeChat articles and mentions on Qiongyou also indicate that Chinese travellers are especially interested in hiking in Europe and paragliding.

Interested in promoting natural sites or adventure tours but don’t know how to reach the world’s largest outbound travel market?

Shake to Win connects Chinese independent travellers with authentic places and cultural experiences around the world. Because our users care about culture and so do we, Shake to Win offers local businesses who represent the local way of life an easy, hassle-free way to reach Chinese independent travellers.

We want our users to have the best, most authentic experience during their travels. We also want local places and businesses we love to be able to attract Chinese visitors who respect the local culture. Our app contains listings of experiences, businesses and cultural institutions selected by our team with both our users’ preferences and customer needs in mind.

The Shake to Win app also provides businesses with the possibility of offering our Chinese users incentives with only a few clicks. This is a thoughtful, culturally sensitive way to let travellers know long before they arrive at your doorstep that they are welcome at your shop and will be well received.

Joining Shake to Win is really easy. No need to know Mandarin, set up Chinese social media accounts, or even leave your office. Get a free listing on our app and let a new China get to know you.