Some people have traveled long distances to Bariloche, Argentina, on the other side of the world, and others have visited the border town of Boten in Laos by cross-border high-speed train... Since China officially lifted the entry quarantine on January 1, in an online tourism community, tourists have traveled abroad to more than 8 countries, more than 150,1800 cities and more than 2200,<> destinations.
As the first small long holiday since the Spring Festival, the "May Day" holiday has further released people's demand for outbound travel - many travel agencies' outbound tours have been fully booked in advance; On many online travel platforms, outbound air ticket searches are hot, and outbound travel product bookings are hot. Some young people have issued invitations to "seek a team" on social platforms, and realized free travel for outbound travel through group grouping...
In February this year, the "Blue Book of China's Tourism Economy" released by the China Tourism Academy predicted that the number of inbound and outbound tourists in China is expected to exceed 2 million throughout the year, doubling year-on-year. The "Report on the Prosperity of China's Outbound Tourism Market in the First Half of 9000" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") recently released by the World Tourism Alliance and other institutions pointed out that in the short and medium term, China's outbound tourism will mainly recover in an orderly and gradual manner in a "U-shaped", rather than quickly bottoming out. In the long run, with the increasingly diversified, personalized and high-quality travel needs of Chinese travelers, outbound travel still has broad market potential, and the iteration of product systems is expected to stimulate outbound travel demand.
From the launch of various outbound tourism products to the resumption of international passenger flights, in recent times, tourism, transportation and other industries have done enough services and guarantees to meet people's outbound travel needs. In some offline travel agencies, various outbound tour groups with destinations in Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, etc. have been launched. Since January 1, China's international passenger flights have maintained a steady increase. Xu Qing, deputy director of the Department of Transport of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said that from the actual implementation of international passenger flights, from April 8 to 4, the actual number of international passenger flights has reached 10,16, recovering to 2242.29% of the pre-epidemic level, and opening flights to 4 countries, recovering to 59% of the pre-epidemic level. From the perspective of countries, the top 82 flights to China are Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, and the growth rate of flights in the surrounding traditional markets is obvious.
It is understood that before the "May Day" holiday, many travel agencies' outbound travel products have been fully booked. In a travel agency, products such as Iran, Egypt, and New Zealand's North and South Islands were quickly sold out after they went online. Compared with the beginning of April, the number of registrations for short-term travel products increased by 4% to 300%. Another travel agency in Guangzhou launched tours departing at the end of April, such as the 400-day tour in Argentina and the 13-day tour in Switzerland, which were fully booked in March.
According to data from a number of online travel service platforms, the number of outbound travel orders this year has exceeded the level of the same period in 2019. On Ctrip's platform, during May Day this year, the search popularity of outbound air tickets recovered to 2019% of the same period in 120, and the search popularity of outbound hotels recovered to about 2019% of the same period in 70. Fliggy's May Day outbound travel bookings hit a new peak, increasing by more than 2023% compared to the 200 Spring Festival holiday.
"Before the holidays, we planned a trip to Southeast Asia. Because Southeast Asia is closer, there are many flights, the round-trip time is short, and the air ticket price is more reasonable. During this May Day holiday, Mr. Sun and his family in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, chose to go to Southeast Asia to "play around". Watch the sunset on Bali beaches, go shopping in Singapore, sample local snacks at Bangkok's night markets... Beautiful island scenery and diverse travel experiences make Southeast Asia a popular destination for outbound travel.
It is reported that due to the relaxed policy, convenient visa processing and "novice-friendly", Southeast Asian countries have become the first stop for the vast majority of tourists to "travel the world". Southeast Asian countries occupy eight of the top 20 popular countries for outbound travel in Mafengwo, and Thailand has been the top country overseas since the resumption of outbound travel. The opening of the China-Laos high-speed railway has further enriched the outbound transportation options of domestic tourists, and the popularity of "taking the high-speed rail to Laos" has also increased day after day, driving Luang Prabang to become one of the overseas destinations with the highest increase in popularity. On Ctrip's platform, 66% of outbound destinations are concentrated in Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Compared with the same period in 2019, Southeast Asia increased by more than 50%, and other Asian regions and the Middle East, which has recently cooperated more closely with China, increased by more than 100%.
From checking in famous attractions, to pursuing niche and experience... Outbound travelers also have higher pursuit of travel destinations and gameplay. According to the report, therapeutic destinations and niche destinations may usher in significant growth as consumers pay more attention to physical and mental health and related healing products, and are willing to pay a premium for high-quality products and unique holiday experiences.
The reporter learned and found that on many online travel platforms, niche, personalized and diversified immersive tourism products have attracted more and more tourists. On May Day this year, Donkey Mother Travel Network increased the number of products of private groups and boutique groups in response to the needs of high-frequency outbound tourists and family tourists who pay more attention to quality, experience and safety; Among Tuniu's outbound long-term travel products, once niche and unpopular destinations in the Middle East and Africa have sprung up in this year's May Day outbound travel market.
The popularity of outbound tourism during the May Day holiday has made many practitioners full of confidence and expectations for the further recovery of the outbound tourism market. The report points out that in the long run, as the world's largest source of outbound tourists, China has huge market potential, with the normalization of international routes and visa approvals and the further clarification of relevant policies, it is believed that more Chinese tourists will go abroad, customized boutique small groups, themed tours and other special products and new niche destinations will also further enter the public vision and promote the recovery of the outbound tourism market.
(Yao Yaqi, reporter of this newspaper)