China's tourism market officially enters peak season

Cảnh đông đúc hành khách tại nhà ga ở Thiên Tân, Trung Quốc. — Crowded scene of passengers at the train station in Tianjin, China.

According to the Global Times on June 29, the Chinese tourism market entered its peak season, especially for overseas travel as the summer holiday began, with the number of bookings from major online travel agencies (OTAs) increasing.

A report by Ctrip, one of China's largest OTAs, showed that searches for domestic hotels and flights increased by more than 20% year-on-year in 2023.

According to data from Xiaozhu, a Chinese home-sharing platform, summer bookings in popular cities have more than tripled compared to the same period last year.

Ctrip's report shows that more than 70% of summer tour bookings are long-distance trips.

In addition to some traditional long-haul destinations, bookings with destinations in Northeast China increased by 40% year-on-year, while those in Southwest also increased by 25%.

According to Tuniu.com data, in July, the proportion of domestic long-distance trips accounted for more than 50% of total trips, a first in the history of the platform.

Meanwhile, Xiaozhu said cross-provincial tourism products accounted for 71% of total tour bookings.

Du khách tham quan khu phố cổ ở Tảo Trang, tỉnh Sơn Đông, Trung Quốc. — Tourists visit the old town in Zaozhuang, Shandong province, China.

Overseas travel is also expected to surge this summer. So far, international flight bookings on Qunar.com have increased by 150% year-on-year, indicating strong demand for overseas travel this summer, and Qunar.com estimates that it will return to 2019 levels.

Visa exemption policies for some popular tourist destinations in Asia for Chinese tourists have had a significant impact on demand.

Data from Qunar.com shows that nine out of 10 international destinations booked for flights are in Asia, highlighting the growing demand for "Asia travel".

International airfares and hotel prices are down at least 20% on average this summer compared to the same period last year.

According to Tongcheng Travel, the European Football Championship (EURO 2024) and the Paris Olympics also contributed to the increase in tour bookings to Europe.

Flight bookings from major Chinese cities to Paris increased by more than 70% in July compared to the same period last year, while hotel bookings in Paris increased by nearly 150%.

Additionally, group tours to France during the Olympics increased by 225% compared to the previous year.

Ctrip data shows that summer tour bookings to France increased by 80% year-on-year, while those to Germany increased by more than 1.5 times.

In addition, the opening of direct flights to Brazil, Mexico, Peru Argentina, Colombia, Cuba and other long-haul destinations also attracted the interest of Chinese tourists, with summer tour bookings to these destinations increasing by more than 80% compared to last year.

Zhu Keli, founding director of the China New Economic Research Institute, said the boom in China's summer tourism market highlights the huge potential and growth opportunities of the Chinese tourism market, while also demonstrating economic vitality and changing spending habits as people pursue new vacation options.

According to Director Zhu, China has long considered tourism as one of the key sectors to restore and expand consumer spending.

In recent months, the central and local governments have rolled out a series of favorable measures to support the cultural and tourism economy, which promises to boost the overall development of China's tourism industry.

According to Vietnamplus

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