Splurging is surging

"It's exciting to enjoy a slow pace of life on holiday," she says.

"It's an exploration of the unknown. You learn about other people's lifestyles and ways of thinking."

Travelers who were born in the 1970s on average took their first overseas trips at age 30, when they were established in their careers, the report finds. Those born after'95 typically took their first overseas trips at age 18.

China's more than 400 million millennials are major drivers of tourism trends, Feng says.

Mafengwo reports that bookings for performances, exhibitions and culture-related day tours increased in the first half of 2019. A particularly popular option has been watching the musical, Phantom of the Opera, in London. Many overseas venues are actively promoting themselves to Chinese.

"It's not just about sightseeing. It's more about immersing into local culture and history," Feng says.