Behind the natural endowment and fun is a huge test of the service support system
Did your return trip go smoothly during the Spring Festival holiday?
According to media reports, some netizens recently reported that air tickets out of Hainan are tight. "When I came to Sanya, the air tickets cost one thousand yuan. Unexpectedly, when I went back, the air tickets cost more than ten thousand." Relevant departments in Hainan responded that in February Before the 16th (the seventh day of the Lunar New Year), air tickets from Hainan to major domestic destination cities have been basically sold out, and the remaining few air tickets are mainly high-class air tickets. According to feedback from airlines, ticket prices on some routes are around 10,000 yuan, mainly business class.
It's no wonder that some people feel "heartache". A return ticket worth more than 10,000 yuan is a troublesome thing for most people.
The surge in air ticket prices is related to the surge in the number of tourists in Hainan this year, and is also a direct manifestation of the relationship between supply and demand. According to reports, the overall passenger flow to Hainan during the 2024 Spring Festival will increase by more than 30% year-on-year. Not only will there be a shortage of air tickets to the island during and after the festival, but also before the festival, demand will exceed supply. In addition, there are some data for reference. On February 13, the Qiongzhou Strait inter-provincial passenger and ro-ro transport transported a total of 170,000 passengers and 37,900 vehicles, an increase of 24.9% and 15.7% respectively compared with the same period in 2023. The passenger volume , vehicle transportation volume both exceeded the historical record of single-day shipment volume. In the 19 days before the Spring Festival travel rush, the Qiongzhou Strait inter-provincial passenger and ro-ro transport transported a total of 2.442 million passengers and 559,600 vehicles, an increase of 31.9% and 16.9% respectively compared with the same period in 2023.
A large number of tourists are pouring into the island. Presumably many tourists who enter the island by boat may also choose to return by flight. In addition, people who came to the island earlier to spend the winter have to leave. Such intensive travel demand has put pressure on transportation. One can imagine. In this sense, the tight air tickets and high prices are not unexpected.
In fact, not only Hainan, but according to media reports, return ticket prices for the Spring Festival in other popular tourist destinations have also skyrocketed. In places like Harbin, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, return air tickets for tourists have increased in price or even been sold out.
The high return ticket prices in some popular tourist areas make people anxious, but what is reflected behind them is still the same old problem that has been played out before - the asymmetry between short-term and explosive travel demand during holidays and service guarantees and emergency response. After cooking one table of meals, but two, three or even more tables of guests came, the result is inevitable. And when cooking, you can't completely predict how many people will come to the table.
The local area is also taking positive measures to resolve the problem. According to reports, Hainan’s transportation and tourism industry authorities have coordinated with major airlines to increase capacity and switch to wide-body aircraft before the holiday. Currently, Sanya’s investment in wide-body aircraft has accounted for 21%. Major airlines are actively increasing capacity through Haikou Meilan International Airport, and it is also recommended that tourists who have not purchased tickets in advance can choose to depart from Haikou and Boao. In addition, efforts will be made to increase the amount of reserved cross-sea tickets in each port area.
It is not yet known to what extent these measures will affect the current air ticket prices for outlying islands, and it is unrealistic to "bring down the price" in one hit. There are reports that some aircraft slots at Sanya Phoenix International Airport are under maintenance. From the perspective of safe flight, it is difficult to increase capacity. Safe flights must obviously be guaranteed, but are there any other ways to prevent the maintenance period from overlapping with the travel outbreak period? After all, Spring Festival travel pressure is to be expected.
This also serves as a reminder for tourist hotspot cities: Behind the natural endowment and fun, there is actually a huge test for the entire city’s operation guarantee system and service support system. It is not easy to withstand the test of the instant influx of people, but only by making adequate preparations, solving problems, and withstanding the test can "hot spots" become "stationary spots." In this sense, hotspot cities should rise to the challenge and solve the "Achilles' heel" that plagues holiday tourism.
Chengdu Commercial Daily-Red Star News special commentator Long Zhizhu