NEWS

National Day Tourism Observation- “Slow-charging” travel is popular and outbound tourism welcomes new growth points

As the National Day holiday in China wraps up, various online travel platforms are reporting a strong performance in the travel market this “Golden Week.” In contrast to previous holidays such as May Day and Dragon Boat festivals, the National Day holiday provided a longer break, leading to a wider range of traveler demands.

With favorable weather and ample time on their hands, many travelers opted for extended journeys this year. Data from the travel platform Fliggy shows that domestic airfare and hotel booking prices dropped by about 13% and 6%, respectively, compared to last year. For international travel, airfares decreased by around 19%, while hotel prices fell by about 3%.

Analysis by the Qunar Big Data Research Institute indicates that travel patterns during this year’s National Day holiday were more dispersed and diverse. The pricing trends for flights and hotels were smoother, with peak prices being lower than in previous years, thereby enhancing overall travel value and stimulating consumer spending.

While travelers are increasingly focused on cost-effectiveness, they still place high importance on quality and variety in their experiences. Fliggy’s data reveals that bookings for high-end domestic hotels surged by nearly 40%, with vacation packages that include flights, accommodations, and dining seeing similar growth rates.

This trend extended into outbound tourism as well. Fliggy noted that the average price of vacation packages for international travel during the holiday exceeded that of the same timeframe in 2019. Additionally, popular local experiences, such as snorkeling and helicopter sightseeing, also experienced significant increases in average bookings compared to last year.

This year’s “Golden Week” also saw an uptick in the preference for leisurely “slow travel,” wherein travelers are less inclined to rush through popular attractions. Ctrip’s flight booking data indicates that nearly 30% of travelers opted to depart early before the holidays. Moreover, bookings for the first weekend after the National Day holiday increased by 10% compared to the previous month, with some regions seeing travel orders comparable to those during the holiday itself. This shift implies that more travelers are spreading their holiday plans across regular days, seeking a better balance between cost and comfort.

Industry experts suggest this trend is a reflection of increased supply in the travel sector, as the recovery of airfares and hotel availability has alleviated concerns over securing reservations. Travelers are now more inclined to choose off-peak times. On the demand side, tourism remains an essential avenue for personal rejuvenation, shifting from fast-paced “special ops” trips to more spontaneous and relaxed getaways, with noticeable increases in the duration of stays.

The rise of “slow travel” can also be linked to improved high-speed rail infrastructure. Data from Ctrip indicates that during the National Day holiday, the travel radius for high-speed rail reached an impressive 330 kilometers, facilitating more frequent short trips between cities.

The National Day holiday also represented a peak period for cross-border travel. An interesting trend is the increasing number of residents from smaller cities venturing abroad, with many third-, fourth-, and even fifth-tier cities emerging as active contributors to international tourism.

A report from the online travel platform Tongcheng highlights that demand for outbound travel is swiftly rising among residents of second- and third-tier cities, especially in western regions. During this year’s National Day holiday, cities such as Xishuangbanna, Linyi, Xining, Guiyang, and Shijiazhuang saw the most significant spikes in outbound flight bookings, with over 20 western cities experiencing more than a 100% year-on-year increase in international ticket reservations.

According to Qunar, residents from third-tier cities and below have nearly tripled their outbound travel orders compared to last year, far outpacing growth rates from larger cities.

At the same time, residents from first- and second-tier cities are traveling further and spending more. Ctrip’s data shows that among the top 20 outbound travel destinations, 12 are long-haul options, including the UK, the USA, and Australia, accounting for 37% of overall consumer spending on international travel. In contrast, travelers from fourth- and fifth-tier cities predominantly prefer shorter trips.

Ctrip’s report underscores that as residents of first- and second-tier cities explore long-haul destinations and those from lower-tier cities embark on international travel, we can anticipate increased outbound tourism spending, presenting greater growth opportunities for the global travel industry.