Chinese App Qyer Solves the Problem of Not Wanting to Travel Solo

Imagine if a dating app and a travel agency had a baby. Rather than swiping right on the love of your life, you’re looking for the ultimate travel buddy or buddies. Heck, you might even find the love of your life too as the two certainly don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Introducing Qyer (穷游网), the multi-function Chinese app for all things travel related. China is really good at creating one-stop-does-all apps and Qyer is yet another perfect example of that. You can research travel destinations, book tickets/travel/accommodations, participate in discussion forums, share your own travel tips and experiences, and best of all: connect with other travelers and even make plans to travel with them!

Based on a report released by the company (conducted in association with iResearch Inc.) in March 2020, the app currently has over 80 million users and an overwhelming 75.6% of the users are between the ages of 24-40. Female users consist of 64.5% of total users. Furthermore, it is important to note that despite the characters in the app’s Chinese name 穷游 (qióng yóu) translating to “budget travel”, a majority of the users are well educated, earn at least 10,000RMB a month, and are from top-tier cities.  For reference, the national average monthly income for city dwellers is 3,653RMB.

Qyer was founded in 2004 as a Chinese outbound travel app, poised to help students overseas create a community to connect and share travel stories. Since then, it has really gained traction with domestic Chinese travelers and, given the travel bans due to the current global pandemic, most of its use has pivoted to domestic travel within the last year.

Find a Travel Mate with the Biu Ban Function

A function on Qyer worth mentioning is “Biu 伴” (biu bàn), the lovechild mentioned in the first paragraph. Users can find travel partners by simply posting a free ad with the destination, dates, and details of a trip they’re planning to take. Others on the platform who are interested can respond to the ad. And boy do those responses roll in.

My very first experience using the Biu 伴function was for a trip to Xiamen, China back during the summer of 2019. Within 24 hours of posting my ad, a group of five of us (strangers from all over China) had booked our train/plane tickets as well as Airbnb and were planning to meet in Xiamen two weeks later. I’m happy to report that it was an amazing trip, and we all stay in touch to this very day.

But we all know that with most good things, there are caveats. My first experience using the app was so smooth but then a couple of the experiences I had following that one were less than stellar. Long story short, scammers are real so users should exercise good judgment in filtering through messages and not sharing personal information too quickly. And for what it matters DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY RANDOM APPS OR SEND MONEY! The app does allow users to report violators and I have received messages from the system that accounts have been locked due to “suspicious activity” so at least Qyer is actively addressing those concerns.

What Data from Qyer Reveals About China’s Travel Industry

Chinese Outbound Travelers’ Favorite Destinations

Well, let’s take a look at some infographics published in the company’s 2019 Chinese Travel Trends Report:

Here we see the top 10 countries Chinese travelers tend to visit: Japan, Thailand, Italy, France, USA, England, Spain, Malaysia, Germany, and Russia.

Although travel bans are still in place due to Covid-19, many believe that we are in the final stretches of the pandemic. Travel is projected to resume soon and based on a forecast from the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, 100 million border crossings from mainland China are estimated for 2021. When the light turns green, we can definitely expect to see a healthy number of Chinese travelers in the countries mentioned above.

Qyer Users’ Preferred Accommodations

This next infographic shows that a whopping 72.5% of Qyer users between the ages of 25-35 opt for mid to high level hotels when traveling. Understandably, those a little younger (between the ages of 18-24 and likely college students) choose to stay in youth hostels and are willing to embrace simple accommodations.

However, what is most noteworthy is that 41.3% of users are now giving considerable consideration to homestays like Airbnbs, especially the more unique ones. Another factor that helps millennials and Gen Zs make decisions on where to stay is how “Instagramable” an accommodation is. Note to homestays: Play up the aesthetics so that the visitors will want to take a bunch of photos. They’ll be your best form of marketing!   

Qyer Users are Seeking Athletic Experiences

Given that Qyer users are a younger demographic, it comes as no surprise that they love fitness and physical activities. Approximately 44% of users report of having regular workout routines and look to stay active when traveling. Top activities include skiing, diving, cycling, hiking, paragliding, surfing, skydiving, running, and hot ballooning.

To an older demographic, these activities may appear riskier, but for the users on Qyer, travel is no longer just about visiting tourist attractions. They’re looking for the experiences and they’re willing to embrace the adrenaline rush that comes with doing so.

Removing Barriers to Travel

China is a driving force in the global outbound tourism industry. As the quality of life improves for its citizens across the board, China and its travelers will continue to make huge impacts for the industry for years to come. Apps such as Qyer allow us to take a closer look into the trends that Chinese travelers are setting as well as the experiences and services that attract them most.

The average age of the Chinese leisure traveler is decreasing. Travel is no longer just for retirees who have finally saved up enough time and money to follow a megaphone wielding tour guide around from attraction to attraction with 30+ other retirees.

No, travel is just as attainable to the 20-something year old working professional from Shanghai who has a week off and was inspired by a Korean drama to go paragliding through the mountains of Interlaken, Switzerland with friends he/she has never met before.