With the summer holidays approaching, tourism in China is rising again. Data from travel platforms shows that searches for summer-related travel products last week increased by about 20% month-on-month. So far, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Changsha, and other cities are trending.
Parent-child travel is the leading force in the summer travel market, significantly impacting China's overall passenger flow. Next, as primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities vacation, the summer market will continue to heat up. In previous years, long-distance travel in Xinjiang, Sichuan, and other regions and the upsurge of outbound travel may also usher in a new round of outbreaks in the summer.
Summer travel warm-up ahead of schedule
According to the same travel data, as of mid-May, summer vacation orders on travel platforms exceeded the same period in 2019. In the first and second half of June, airfare prices increased by 13% and 29%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2019. Increasing travel demands, such as local short-haul travel and music festival concerts, have also grown the industry.
According to a research report by BOCOM International, mainland tourism expenditure is predicted to rise by 169% year-on-year in 2023, reaching 96% of the 2019 level. Meanwhile, outbound tourism expenditure in China is expected to increase by 100% year-on-year, reaching 40% of the 2019 level.
Airlines increase capacity
Recently, Disney announced that to cope with price factors such as new product development and rising costs, the ticket prices of Shanghai Disneyland will be up from June 23. Among them, the price of regular day tickets has increased from 435 yuan to 475 yuan. In addition, the price of special peak days has risen from 769 yuan to 799 yuan.
In terms of airlines, with the acceleration of business and leisure travel, Juneyao Airlines will start its first flight from Beijing Daxing to Japan and South Korea on July 1, 2023, and increase the number of flights from Shanghai to Singapore from the end of June.
From June 12, China Eastern Airlines will launch new routes from Shanghai and Kunming to Seoul, Fukuoka, Okinawa, and other destinations. From the end of June to the beginning of July, routes from Pudong to Busan and Tokyo will be increased to one flight per day.
Spring Airlines will continue to resume with international routes. The number of flights on popular routes will continue to increase during the summer holidays, and the number of summer flights will increase by about 25% month on month.
Experts point out that China's transportation and hotel industry is rapidly recovering, and the prices of hotels and air tickets in many popular scenic spots have risen. But in the long run, attention should be paid to the continued popularity of national travel and tourism-related purchasing power because it is only a process of returning to normal levels from the previous trough.