Beyond the Ivory Ban

The report finds that an estimated 6.8% of Chinese outbound travelers purchase ivory while abroad, with Thailand, Japan, and Hong Kong SAR being the most popular destinations. Mail is the most common method for transporting these products back to Mainland China. While most travelers recognize the illegality of cross-border transport, many are misled by local guides and sellers who suggest that small items are safe to carry. The study highlights a specific 'planner' segment—typically high-income, highly educated females—who intentionally seek out ivory markets.

• An estimated 6.8% of Chinese outbound travelers purchase ivory while traveling outside of Mainland China.
• Thailand, Japan, and Hong Kong SAR are the destinations with the highest estimated incidence rates for ivory purchase, with Thailand at 13.5%, Japan at 12.0%, and Hong Kong SAR at 11.3%.
• A distinct segment of 'planners' who intend to buy ivory are more likely to be female, highly educated (university or above), and have high monthly incomes (RMB 20,000 or more).
• Local tour guides are the primary influencers suggesting ivory shops to travelers, with 60% of those who received such suggestions citing guides as the source.
• The primary motivations for purchasing ivory abroad are for the buyer to keep (58%) or as a gift for a friend, family member, or business contact (57%).
• Despite the ban, 17% of travelers believe it is legal to bring some form of ivory across international borders into China, and this group has a significantly higher ivory purchase rate (23.8% to 40.3%) than those who believe it is illegal (1.6%).
• Travelers rely heavily on authenticating documents provided by sellers to verify if ivory is real, with 47% of those who identified ivory as real citing these documents.
• The estimated incidence rate for rhino horn purchase while traveling is 5.5%, with Thailand being the destination where travelers most frequently knew of someone in their group purchasing it (25%).
• Non-travelers who are interested in buying ivory are less aware of the illegality of cross-border transport than actual travelers, with only 25% correctly identifying it as illegal.

APA

Meijer, W., Bergin, D., Wu, D., Cheng, T., & Kritski, E. (2020). Beyond the Ivory Ban. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/792/xgolwznv2_Traveler___Full_Report_final.pdf

Chicago

Meijer, Wander, Daniel Bergin, Derek Wu, Timothy Cheng, and Eugene Kritski. Beyond the Ivory Ban. WWF International, 2020. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/792/xgolwznv2_Traveler___Full_Report_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Meijer |first1=Wander |last2=Bergin |first2=Daniel |last3=Wu |first3=Derek |last4=Cheng |first4=Timothy |last5=Kritski |first5=Eugene |title=Beyond the Ivory Ban |publisher=WWF International |date=October 2020 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/792/xgolwznv2_Traveler___Full_Report_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{meijer2020beyond, author = {Meijer, Wander and Bergin, Daniel and Wu, Derek and Cheng, Timothy and Kritski, Eugene}, title = {{Beyond the Ivory Ban}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/792/xgolwznv2_Traveler___Full_Report_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }