Chinese business travel is going through the roof

The Chinese are traveling the world, not only as tourists, but more than ever for business. Spending on business travel in China has overtaken US and European business travel.

In 2015, Chinese business spent $291.2 billion on travel compared with $290.2 billion in the US last year, according to a report from the Global Business Travel Association. Spending is expected to go up much further.

A large portion of business travel spending is focused on domestic travel. International hotel operators are trying to secure a piece of the travel cake. Hotels like Hilton are opening new hotels in China’s large metropolis cities, as well as in second and third tier cities. IHG, a hotel chain whose brands include Holiday Inn, opened more than 30 properties in China in 2015 alone.