NEW YORK, April 2 — More and more Chinese tourists are opting to travel solo, eschewing packaged tours involving buses, umbrella-toting guides and rigid, pre-set itineraries.

That’s just one of several conclusions out of a new infographic that paints a portrait of the average Chinese traveller created by Kawo, an agency that specialises in branding and social media in China.

Most Chinese tourists (67 per cent) are aged 25 to 44, and likely to have chosen their hotel or restaurant based on a recommendation obtained from a social media network.

Their preferred destinations are the US, France, Italy and the UK, Hong Kong and Macau, the last for fine dining as well as world-class gambling — two areas of interest among Chinese travellers.

Savvy bargain hunters for whom shopping is a priority are also learning to venture outside the city centre and into the suburbs to outlet malls, where luxury brands such as Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada are top of mind, adds travel trade site Skift.com.

Chinese travellers splashed out a record US$102 billion (RM332.6 billion) on trips abroad in 2012 to become the largest spender in international tourism. — AFP/Relaxnews