Outbound travel from China is about to get a much-anticipated boost as Golden Week bookings show changes in where and why Chinese are traveling.
According to Fliggy, a serious travel booking platform in China, Chinese travelers are booking more foreign trips for the National Day holiday, which runs from October 1 to October 7, resulting from falling airfares.
Data from Fliggy, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group, shows travelers are heading to a lot of their usual destinations in Asia Pacific: Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, in addition to Australia, in addition to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam in Southeast Asia. It was said that the USA had also drawn up the list.
However, the strongest growth in bookings is basically for travel to locations outside the region: Chile, Croatia, Belgium, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka, company data shows.
A report released on September 23 by Goldman Sachs Equity Research estimates that China's domestic travel volume will increase by an “unexciting 5-6%” in comparison with last yr's holiday season. However, “outbound travel growth is expected to remain robust, +62% year-on-year” – or about 94% of 2019 levels, it said.
Longer trips, earlier bookings
Trip.comChina's largest online travel agency, can be seeing a “significant shift” towards long-haul destinations for the upcoming Golden Week, with Australia, the United States, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France and Spain topping the list of long-distance travel bookings.
The average booking for Golden Week this yr is greater than seven days, but those traveling to Europe are staying as much as twice as long, in line with the corporate.
While most Golden Week travelers go for mid-range accommodations, growth in five-star hotels in Europe is sort of thrice higher than in Asia-Pacific, company data showed.
According to Trip.com, nearly one in three travelers in Europe booked multi-destination itineraries, while 80% of Golden Week bookings in Asia Pacific are for single-destination trips, in line with Trip.com.
ASEAN countries have discussed making a Schengen-like visa to incentivize travelers to go to multiple countries during their stay within the region. But to date the visa – which might apply to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam – has not occurred.
Another sign of recovery? Travelers are planning their trips further upfront, an indication of growing travel confidence. According to Trip.com, travelers submitted visa applications a median of 68 days before their trip, about 29 days sooner than last yr.
I'm on the lookout for peace and concert events
As Chinese tourists proceed to transcend organized sightseeing trips abroad, more are searching for to have a good time Golden Week in distant locations, particularly in Asia and Europe, in line with Trip.com data.
Bookings to Japan show travelers bypassing Tokyo and Kyoto for places like Yokohama, Takayama and Ito, which saw triple-digit growth during Golden Week, the corporate said. Interest in visiting the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc can be increasing, data showed.
According to Trip.com, in Europe, bookings in Spain increased by 260% to town of Granada and by 144% to Seville.
A Fliggy report shows more travelers renting cars and booking cruises during Golden Week, while interest in outdoor activities equivalent to climbing, fishing and sailing also surged.
Like the remaining of the world, live entertainment is a giant driver for Chinese travelers.
According to Trip.com, greater than 75% of Golden Week travelers visiting Asia Pacific are millennials, booking trips to Hong Kong to see John Legend in addition to K-pop acts like Taemin and Taeyang.
Hong Kong is anticipated to welcome as much as 1.2 million visitors from mainland China through the upcoming Golden Week holiday, up 10% from last yr, in line with town's Travel Industry Council.
Spending is anticipated to stay stable
Despite ongoing turmoil in China's economy, travelers are spending nearly 6% greater than during last yr's Golden Week, in line with Fliggy.
In a report on Chinese online travel agencies, HSBC Global Research stated: “We are optimistic for Golden Week…as we expect strong traffic growth due to lower airfares and hotel prices.”
Citing Beijing-based online travel agency Qunar, the report said Chinese from smaller cities are now also choosing to travel abroad.
According to Qunar, international travel is increasing in lower-tier cities, with bookings from third-tier cities and below “increasing 2.5 times year-on-year, and people from second-tier cities up +76%.”
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