Top online travel site Qunar sees huge growth as Chinese tourists flock overseas

Rich Chinese consumers are becoming more willing to spend money traveling both domestically and abroad rather than buying luxury handbags and watches, as demonstrated by the massive growth of the country's leading online travel service provider.

Qunar capped its first year as a public company by reporting on Tuesday its third-consecutive quarter of more than 100 per cent revenue growth for the three months ended December 31.

Nasdaq-listed Qunar, which is controlled by Chinese online search giant Baidu, often known as the “Google of China”, enables users to search and compare flights, hotels, travel packages, group-buying deals and other travel-related information via its website and mobile applications.

Qunar’s strong growth comes as global luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Cartier are increasingly concerned about their sales outlook amid Beijing’s snowballing anti-corruption drive.

In comparison, travel business, especially for personal holidays, continues its uptrend as more rich Chinese, especially the growing middle-class, are keen to go overseas and more Chinese consumers rely on online travel booking than traditional methods.