Business travel to see robust growth this year

It will be the largest business tour group between the two countries in 50 years, said Feng Bin, president of Beijing Utour International Travel Service Co Ltd, which is organizing the tour.

Along with the growth in business travel, there has also been a sea change in the preferences of business travelers from China, said the Ctrip report.

The ongoing anti-corruption campaign has to some extent dampened travel and other related preferences. Several business travelers have voluntarily given up first-class seats and rooms at luxury hotels for less expensive options, the report said.

However, some high-cost travel products are still in demand with business travelers, said Liu from Ctrip.

"Both hotels and the civil aviation industry were forced to adjust their strategies to cope with the changing preferences," he said.

Chinese high-end hotels, which were hit by the ongoing anti-corruption campaign, had hinged most of their growth hopes on high-end business travelers.

However, many of them are now changing tack to cope with all types of business travelers, Liu said.

Some Chinese carriers have already started creating new products for business travelers, since the demand for business travel still exists, even as first-class consumption declined.

China Southern Airlines Co Ltd, the largest carrier by fleet in China, dropped first-class services on narrow-body domestic routes in 2014 for the low load factors and instead decided to install premium economy class seats in its fleet, which is between business and economy class.