With the continuous increase of outbound routes, the air ticket prices of some destinations are also decreasing day by day.

On February 1, according to data released by Ctrip, air tickets to Hong Kong and Macau from all over the country have fallen sharply compared with the Spring Festival period. The round trip from Shanghai to Hong Kong and Macau only costs about 1,000 yuan.

In addition, the price of air tickets for direct flights to Thailand has also dropped significantly.

At present, many airline companies are constantly opening and resuming international routes, and the willingness of Chinese mainland tourists to go abroad is gradually increasing, and the time for staggered travel is now.

　　Thousands of air tickets to Hong Kong and Macau

　　After the Spring Festival travel peak, air ticket prices in many places have shown a downward trend, and even the prices of many flights have moved closer to those before the epidemic.

　　According to Ctrip data, air tickets to Hong Kong and Macau from all over the country have dropped significantly compared to the Spring Festival period. The round trip from Shanghai to Hong Kong and Macau only costs about 1,000 yuan, and the round trip from Beijing to Hong Kong costs more than 1,500 yuan. Buy one get one free for flights to Macau, with an average per capita of over 1,200 yuan.

　　A reporter from Beijing Business Daily inquired about the Ctrip App and found that, taking the Beijing-Hong Kong route as an example, the lowest price for direct flights in February was 1,050 yuan, and the lowest price in March was 1,035 yuan, which tends to be consistent with the air ticket prices of some domestic routes.

　　In addition, the prices of air tickets from mainland China to Southeast Asian countries have also plummeted.

Ctrip data shows that in February, the direct flight from Shanghai to Phuket was as low as 1,600 yuan, and the direct flight from Nanjing to Phuket was around 2,000 yuan, which was a sharp dive from the price of 7,000 yuan + during the Spring Festival.

　　According to Qunar data, from late January to early February, Chengdu-Bangkok, Chengdu-Phuket, Xiamen-Ho Chi Minh City and other Southeast Asian routes resumed, and the number of passengers decreased significantly compared with the Spring Festival period, and air ticket prices will drop accordingly.

　　Some tourists who went to Thailand for vacation during the Spring Festival said that even if they choose a connecting flight, the per capita round-trip air ticket in Thailand during the Spring Festival is still more than 7,000 yuan, which is far more than other expenses such as hotels.

In contrast, traveling abroad in February is more cost-effective.

　　In February, more than 40 outbound routes were launched

　　From the second half of 2022, a number of airlines have successively opened and resumed outbound routes, and the number of domestic and overseas flights is also gradually increasing.

　　On February 1, Hainan Airlines announced plans to resume flights from Beijing to St. Petersburg and to open a new international route from Shenzhen to Phnom Penh.

So far, Hainan Airlines has resumed and newly opened 20 international and regional round-trip passenger routes including Beijing-Brussels, Beijing-Moscow, and Beijing-Belgrade.

　　China Southern Airlines also plans to open or resume multiple international and regional round-trip routes such as Guangzhou-Hanoi and Guangzhou-Vientiane in February, and increase the frequency of round-trip routes such as Guangzhou-Singapore, Guangzhou-Kuala Lumpur, and Wuhan-Hong Kong.

　　According to statistics from Ctrip, as of the end of January, there have been more than 40 outbound resumption routes in February, and the average weekly resumption of flights has exceeded 140.

Among them, routes to Asian destinations accounted for more than 80%, and only Hong Kong, Macau and Thailand rescheduled flights accounted for more than 40%.

In addition, from the price point of view, the price of 30% of the flights is lower than the average transaction price in the same period in 2019, and about 10% of the flights are even more than 30% cheaper than in 2019.

　　Intensive new outbound travel products

　　The sharp reduction in air ticket prices has provided great convenience for peak-staggered outbound travel. In February, various tourism companies intensively launched outbound travel products.

　　On January 20, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a notice that, starting from February 6, national travel agencies and online travel companies will resume the pilot program of outbound group travel and "air ticket + hotel" business for Chinese citizens to relevant countries, involving 20 countries.

Including Thailand, Cambodia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, etc.

　　After the news was released, the search volume of outbound travel on many travel platforms increased significantly.

At the same time, tourism companies are stepping up their efforts to launch outbound products.

A reporter from Beijing Business Daily learned from Zhongxin Tourism that due to the diversification of the purpose and needs of the first batch of tourists going abroad, Zhongxin Tourism has prepared customized products represented by minitour, with destinations covering Switzerland, Maldives, Thailand, Singapore, etc.

In terms of short-term, among the first batch of 20 countries, popular islands that are highly popular among mainland Chinese tourists will be the first destinations.

　　The official WeChat account of Caesars Tourism also announced that recently, Caesars Tourism’s outbound travel business has been fully launched.

The first batch of dozens of different types of outbound tourism products will be launched one after another.

　　According to Gu Huimin, a professor at the School of Tourism Science of Beijing International Studies University, air ticket and hotel prices will increase during the Spring Festival holiday, and prices will fall after the holiday.

The increase in flight routes and the launch of outbound group products by travel agencies will also attract some tourists to choose staggered travel.

"However, the number of outbound routes is still recovering, and it will take some time for overseas hotels, scenic spots and service personnel to restart. The full recovery of the outbound tourism market will still take some time."

　　Beijing Business Daily reporter Guan Zichen Zhang Yiran