Although it was only in early April, the reporter of Beijing Youth Daily learned that whether it is the "group tour" of traditional travel agencies, or the "group tour" and "semi-self-guided tour" of destinations without air tickets launched by various travel online service platforms (OTAs), and the "summer school in-depth study tour" launched by some study abroad agents, tourism products such as "staying in summer school in-depth study tour" have been updated, the outbound tourism market is recovering, and the products available are constantly enriching.
On April 4, the person in charge of a well-known travel agency in Beijing said, "Recently, the number of consultation calls has doubled compared with the previous month, and most consumers are consulting summer vacation group tour products, and the main destinations are France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain-Portugal, Switzerland and so on." ”
Some travel-loving parents make summer vacation travel plans from mid-July to early August two or three months in advance. Ms. Meng, who has a child from a junior high school, told the Beiqing News reporter that she found that this year, various travel online service platforms (OTAs) have launched a variety of destinations without air tickets "group tours", with richer routes, more choices, and a wider range of price options.
No air ticket "group tour" is new
On platforms such as Ctrip, Qunar, and Fliggy, a new product of "group tour" without including large transportation and round-trip air tickets has increased, and is called "customized tour", "private group" or "destination group tour".
The Beiqing News reporter noted that in addition to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has liberalized the 60 foreign countries on the list of outbound group travel and "air ticket + hotel" business for Chinese citizens operated by travel agencies and online travel companies, countries not on the list such as the United Kingdom can also choose a new type of "group tour" without air tickets. For example, the Cambridge and Oxford Dual Schools Tour from London; Panoramic Scotland Tour Tours; British City Tour + British Museum + Stonehenge "Private Group" and so on.
There are also some "group tours" in France, Italy and Switzerland that are shorter in 5-7 days. For example, a 7-day local tour from Paris, equipped with a Chinese driver and guide, pick-up from Paris airport and then Disney tours, Louvre, Pompidou National Culture and Arts Center and other tours.
There are three major differences between destination and group tours
According to tourism industry insiders, for consumers, there are three main differences between such "group tours" that do not include air tickets compared with traditional "group tours". First, the destination tour does not include booking and purchasing air tickets, and consumers need to apply for it themselves; The "group tour" of traditional travel agencies includes air ticket booking services and fees. Second, the destination tour does not include airport pick-up, that is, you must take an international flight and go through immigration formalities to arrive at the meeting point without a tour guide; The "group tour" of traditional travel agencies does not need to worry about travelers, and there is a guide to follow and assist them throughout the process from the airport to the departure from the airport to the dissolution after returning to China. Third, the types of visas are different. For "group tours" to pick up tourists at the destination, you need to apply for a tourist visa by yourself, or you can have a visa from the destination country within the validity period; The "group tour" of traditional travel agencies applies for group visas for consumers, and group tours must exit and enter the country at the same time, and need to cooperate with the travel agency to "cancel the visa" after returning to China.
Half of the group tour is more worry-free and compact than the independent tour
Is half "group tour" and half "independent tour" feasible? The person in charge of a well-known travel agency in Beijing explained that assuming that if you plan to travel for 14 days, you can participate in the "group tour" to pick up tourists at the 7-day destination in the first half, and you can freely arrange the itinerary in the last 7 days, and there is no need for the whole process of collective activities with the travel agency. Half of the group tour is more worry-free and compact than the independent tour, and half of the time can be arranged freely, this plan is feasible.
The key is that outbound travel "independent travel" has certain restrictions on consumers' language ability. First of all, the visa procedures will be more cumbersome, and some requirements are higher than the group visa requirements of "group tours"; Second, the price of international air tickets has a large room for fluctuation, and the price difference may be large when choosing the right time to book air tickets, while the traditional "group tour" group booking price will be relatively low; Third, transportation, accommodation, etc. in the "independent travel" part require basic language communication skills.
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Shandong push high-speed rail tour Qilu package ticket can visit up to eight cities
Recently, Shandong China Railway Cultural Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd. released the "High-speed Rail Tour Qilu" package that attracted attention. The package price is 399 yuan, and you can make multiple reservations to ride the high-speed rail loop train within five days, and you can enjoy value-added services such as fast security check for business travel and rest in VIP halls at the station.
According to the WeChat public account of China Railway Cultural Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd., the package will be online from April 4 to June 6, and the price is 6 yuan / person. Passengers who purchase this package can make multiple reservations to take the G30/G399, G5555/G5558 high-speed rail ring trains under the management of the Jinan Bureau of the National Railway within five days, and can enjoy value-added services such as business travel express security check, exclusive rest, and tourism consultation provided by Shandong China Railway Cultural Tourism Development Group at eight high-speed railway stations, including Jinan Railway Station, Qingdao North Railway Station and Linyi North Railway Station, opening a new experience of high-speed rail circumnavigation. Within five days, you should follow the loop stop to take the car, do not go backwards, and the previous route cannot be repeated.
On April 4, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily found on the 8App that at present, you can find the "High-speed Rail Tour Qilu" travel package by entering the "Railway Tour" on the homepage of the App, and tickets cannot be purchased normally from April 12306 to May 4. According to the details of the page, due to the priority of people returning to visit relatives during the May Day holiday, the package is temporarily not applicable during the May Day period. In addition, the Beiqing News reporter inquired and found that along the G23 ring line to take the route of "Jinan - Tai'an - Qufu East - Linyi North - Rizhao West - Qingdao North - Weifang - Jinan", passing through 5 cities, the lowest total fare for taking the second-class seat of the high-speed rail is 3.5556 yuan, and the route of "Jinan-Zibo-Weifang-Qingdao North-Rizhao West-Linyi North-Qufudong-Jinan" along the G7 ring line also passes through 352 cities, and the lowest fare for the second-class seat of the high-speed rail is 5 yuan.
The price of both routes is slightly lower than the price of the package, and the customer service staff said that the price of the package is indeed comparable to the normal purchase of tickets, but the package also includes value-added services. "The reserved ticket is a second-class seat on the high-speed rail, but tourists with package tickets can also enjoy value-added services such as business travel fast lane, VIP lounge rest, and travel information at the above eight stations.
According to the customer service staff, after buying a travel package, there will be a special travel tutor to contact tourists to help plan the route, recommend tourist attractions in each city, and make an appointment to purchase a ticket can also contact a travel instructor. To use the package, you need to purchase the package ticket and the ticket of the scenic spot above 4A level in the destination city two days before departure, and make an appointment to purchase the train ticket by calling the customer service phone with the destination scenic spot ticket purchase record. Text/Reporter Lin Lishuang Dai Youqing
Coordinator/Chi Haibo Jiang Shuo