Outbound travel resumes the full moon, and high-quality demand has become a new wind vane

Tourists pay more attention to cost-effectiveness and personalization, and flights and visa processing need to be further developed

Outbound travel resumes the full moon, and high-quality demand has become a new wind vane

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After the orderly recovery of outbound tourism, the number of attention and inquiries has grown rapidly, and as the demand of tourists changes, the industry is also actively adjusting its direction, innovating tourism products, improving the quality of products and services, and stabilizing the supply chain of overseas travel.

"Is Saipan open to tourists now?" "When will direct flights to Saipan resume?" Recently, tour guide Wang Mingzhou has continuously received similar inquiries. As a Saipan pick-up tour guide with 14 years of experience, Wang Mingzhou told reporters that since the resumption of the outbound group tourism pilot, new and old customers have a stronger willingness to travel abroad, and there is hope for the resumption of Saipan tourism.

On March 3, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the "On the Pilot Resumption of Travel Agency Operations for Chinese Citizens' Outbound Group Travel to Relevant Countries (Second Batch) and "Air Ticket + Hotel" Business". Together with the previous batch of 10 countries, the number of countries that have resumed outbound group travel has increased to 20, and the overseas tourism business has pressed the "accelerator button" to resume.

What is the current situation of outbound travel, is the industry fully prepared, and what challenges will it face after restarting? Professionals said that due to the impact of the epidemic, the supply chain of the overseas travel market has been affected to a certain extent, and rebuilding the business team, stabilizing supply chain channels, and enhancing tourists' willingness to travel are the keys to accelerating the recovery of the overseas tourism market.

The volume of outbound travel inquiries has grown rapidly

At 2:8 on February 21, the first group of 15 tourists from CYTS Aoyou Thailand gathered at Beijing Capital International Airport and took a direct flight to Bangkok to start a 16-day "Fun Thailand Tour". This is the first batch of tour groups to Thailand organized by the travel agency since the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a notice to resume group outbound tours.

"After the resumption of outbound group travel business, the number of inquiries increased by 300%, we also set up ten outbound travel segments, launched 20 countries open destination group travel products, fully packaged and launched, and now have launched more than 500 outbound travel products." Han Jie, head of CYTS's travel network, said in an interview with a reporter from Workers' Daily.

"The entry into force of the agreement between China and the Maldives on mutual visa exemption and the resumption of flights on the Dubai-Shanghai route... The good news keeps coming, and our outbound travel business is getting busy. Ju Nini, business manager of Xi'an Overseas Travel Company, told reporters that after the resumption of the outbound travel business, it is obvious that consumers pay more attention to cost performance, personalized needs and the proportion of independent travel have increased.

"An arrow through the clouds, thousands of troops come to meet." Yang Jinsong, director of the International Research Institute of the China Tourism Research Institute, used this phrase to describe the hope brought by the recovery of overseas travel. "The introduction of policies such as the new regulations of 'Class B and B Management' and the resumption of outbound group tours from 20 countries have set the main tone for the recovery of the tourism market and enhanced confidence in the revitalization of the overseas travel market.

International flight traffic is still lower than before the pandemic

According to data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, from February 2 to 6, China has resumed scheduled passenger flights with 12 countries, and the number of cities, countries and airlines has recovered to 58%, 25% and 64% of the pre-epidemic level, respectively. Passenger flights have generally recovered to 80% before the pandemic, with Chinese airlines accounting for 9% of flights. From the data, the recovery of international flights has accelerated, but there is still a certain gap compared with before the epidemic.

The resumption of routes to popular tourist areas is one of the necessary conditions for tourists to travel. "In terms of major transportation, many routes have not fully recovered, many of our products do not have suitable flights to match, and tourists need to transfer flights to arrive, so it is not yet possible to fully carry out large-scale outbound group travel business." Li Mengran, a staff member of Zhongxin Travel Group, said.

"In addition to the need for flights to resume, visa application centres in many countries have been closed during the pandemic and visa processing is waiting for further resumption. In addition, the entry and exit policies of various countries are updated rapidly, and some restrictions will discourage consumers' travel plans. Han Jie said.

Yang Jinsong believes that the resumption of outbound group travel has accelerated the recovery of the outbound travel market, but at the same time, we should also pay attention to the difficulties and challenges faced in the process of restarting. "After three years, the supply chain of the overseas tourism market has been affected to a certain extent, whether it is flight resumption or visa processing, etc. are in the running-in period. For tourism companies, it is necessary to re-plan routes that meet consumer needs, upgrade products, and reintegrate human resources. ”

"For tourist destinations, it is also necessary to restore their capacity, develop tentative and pioneering products, improve service levels, provide tourists with diversified choices, and enhance their willingness to travel." The full recovery of the outbound travel market will require a process. Yang Jinsong said.

Increased consumer demand for high-quality products

Recently, the China Tourism Academy released the "Analysis of China's Tourism Economy Operation in 2022 and Development Forecast in 2023", which predicts that the tourism market will enter a new channel of expected strengthening and supply optimization in the second quarter, and the summer vacation is expected to usher in a full recovery. The number of inbound and outbound tourists is expected to exceed 9000 million, doubling year-on-year and recovering to 31.5% of pre-pandemic levels.

Yang Jinsong said that before the epidemic, China's outbound tourist arrivals and outbound tourism expenditure ranked first in the world for many consecutive years, and in the past three years, consumers' consumption behavior and consumption psychology have been constantly changing, and their expectations and imagination of tourist destinations have been increasing. "Therefore, for travel agencies and destination scenic spots, better plans should be developed according to market changes, planning and services should be more meticulous, more in line with the needs of tourists, information should be more transparent, and the protection of tourists' rights and interests should be more perfect."

It is understood that many travel companies have upgraded their products according to consumer demand. Han Jie said that short-distance leisure travel or domestic travel is still the main direction of tourists traveling in recent years, and the popularity of outbound travel is also increasing, and consumers have greater demand for high-quality products with exquisite small groups and independent travel.

"In the face of new markets and new needs, we also adjust our products in a timely manner, drive products with quality, enrich experience with content, and optimize design with resources. According to the resumption of routes, we will also create more diversified tourism products to meet the needs of tourists. Li Mengran said.

Although direct domestic flights to Saipan have not yet resumed, more and more tourists consult Wang Mingzhou every day, and after three years of absence, he is ready to "return to his old business". "It is only a matter of time before direct flights are resumed, and I hope that this day will come soon." (Workers' Daily reporter Gao Yazhang)