Chinese May Holiday Sees A Surge In Bookings

Trip.com Group has released data on May Day travel trends on the Chinese mainland, showing a surge in local as well as overseas bookings.

 

Before the pandemic, Chinese outbound travellers were a key consumer demographic that boosted tourism earnings around the world. As for now, the Chinese tourism industry is on the mend after three difficult years. Increases in both local and international tourism throughout the May Day weekend attest to the holiday's rising importance.

Holiday travel on international airlines has improved to over 40% in comparison with the same time in 2019, with searches up over 60% from the pre-pandemic period.

Data gathered by the Ctrip platform shows that reservations for flights from the Chinese mainland to Southeast Asian countries during the May Day getaway soared by 91%. Reservations for flights to Japan and Korea both rose by over 100%. In addition, more than forty percent more people are booking long-haul flights to Europe.

Many millennials and Gen Zers were making their first international trips. First-time international Ctrip customers in the 18-to-23-year-old demographic typically place their orders for Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, or Kuala Lumpur.

“The May Day holiday has ushered in the first wave of outbound tourism growth this year, driving recovery and local service capabilities," stated Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group. In her opinion, long-haul travel from China to Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas is going to rise as capacity continues to grow. Together with its global partners, the platform is working to meet the pent-up demand for travel from Chinese customers on the mainland and prevent any disruptions.

Mainland China's urban areas are still emphasizing tourism as a means of increasing domestic demand and spending. In order to give a diverse array of activities for May Day tourists, many popular attractions have collaborated with Trip.com Group's Ctrip platform to provide VIP services and customized leisure plans.

Ctrip's FlightAi market research platform reports that the median daily number of local flights increased by almost 15% during the May Day holiday this year, as compared to 2019. More and more consumers are opting to spend their vacations away from the urban core and instead exploring the country. Ctrip data shows that on May Day, rural tour bookings were 242% more significant than they were during the same period in 2019, and that the percentage of bookings from tourists choosing the countryside was 230% higher. Trip.com Group's Country Retreats had a 261% growth in annual order volume. Itineraries to rural areas increasingly depart from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Hangzhou.

In an effort to attract consumers on the Chinese mainland who are interested in short-haul travel and to increase interest in tourist products in popular locations, Trip.com Group has started its "Super World Trip" livestream programme. Over 20,000 hotel rooms were booked during the first livestream event in Thailand, which generated a total retail value of RMB 40 million. GMV in those cities has reached RMB 23 million and RMB 30 million, respectively, thanks to imitations of the model's success in China.

Using a multifaceted strategy based on content marketing, the company will continue to digitalize and adapt to consumer demand in order to deliver tailored and competitive travel packages.

 

Source: breakingtravelnews.com