(ECNS) -- Wi-Fi services for Chinese tourists traveling abroad have seen explosive growth as nearly 90 percent consider them indispensible during trips, China National Radio reported on Thursday.
Despite a massive cut in international roaming charges by China's three major telecommunication operators in July, Wi-Fi services sold on tourism websites and major e-commerce platforms are still competitive.
For example, it costs less than 20 yuan ($3.20) per day to use Wi-Fi in South Korea, Japan and other countries, and bookings of such services have been rising rapidly.
Tuniu.com, China's top website for package tourism, has seen orders of overseas Wi-Fi services increase nearly seven-fold from two years ago.
Nearly 400,000 tourists have now purchased the service, Zhou Qingyu of Tuniu.com said.
A recent survey found that almost half of Chinese tourists considering it essential to have Wi-Fi when almost half of these Wi-Fi users are aged 30 to 39.
Chinese online travel company Ctrip.com has said that more and more international tourist routes are including Wi-Fi packages to help attract travelers.
The China National Radio report also found that scenic spots in South Korea and Japan, as well as hotels in France, have expanded their Chinese language Wi-Fi services and instructions to help meet tourist demand.
However, Zhang Chun, director of a psychological intervention center in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, says Chinese overreliance on the Internet may affect their interpersonal relations and keep them from noticing the rich cultural diversities abroad.
