Tourists riding camels in Alsha Federation, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on October 13th (Photo/Xinhua)
According to industry sources, the number of middle-aged and older Chinese travelers is increasing this fall, and they are “strategically” choosing to travel on regular days rather than holidays, thus booking cheaper travel products. They say they are trying to avoid crowds.
After a week-long National Day holiday, the tourism market is gradually returning to normal. According to online travel agency Trip.com, from October 8 to October 14, the number of travel bookings by travelers over 50 increased by nearly 20% compared to a year earlier.
For the first nine months of this year, silver-haired people’s thirst for travel shows no signs of slowing, and such travelers tend to have higher per capita spending power. Bookings for people 50 and older increased 26% month-over-month. According to Trip.com, bookings for travelers between the ages of 61 and 65 increased 58% year over year, higher than any other age group.
“Older travelers prefer to travel by plane and stay in luxury hotels,” said Wang Xingxin, director of senior travel at Trip.com. It’s a remarkable feature.”
“They tend to avoid crowded and popular destinations. Instead, they prefer natural scenery with fresh air and cultural products with strong cultural characteristics,” Wang said.
Wang added that their rich life experiences have shaped their travel preferences and they strongly pursue quality. Their frequency of travel and the amount of money they spent on travel were significantly higher than the overall average.
Meanwhile, an increasing number of young travelers are transferring their long-term vacation travel needs to their daily lives in search of a more cost-effective and comfortable travel experience.
After the Golden Week holiday, prices for flights, hotels, group tour products, and customized tours generally dropped by more than 30% on average, making off-peak travel more cost-effective, according to Trip.com.
The increased demand for off-peak travel is expected to bring about some changes in the tourism market, and airline and hotel pricing and marketing systems may also need to be adjusted accordingly. This new trend will also help expand the tourism market, the online travel agency said.
As October approaches and the end of the year approaches, many young employees want to go on a trip and want to use up their remaining annual leave.
According to online travel agency Tuniu, Chinese travelers between the ages of 31 and 40 are very keen to travel, with this group accounting for more than 30% of off-peak travelers.
“For people who have time on their hands and are planning to travel during off-peak seasons, this will be a good time to travel. This group is more likely to take long-distance domestic trips and longer international trips. ” said Qi Chunguang. Vice President of Tuniu State.
Autumn’s beautiful scenery further increases travelers’ interest in traveling during the off-season. Tuniu said some scenic spots in the country attract tourists with autumn leaves, including tourist destinations such as Huangshan in Anhui province, Huangguoshu Waterfall in Guizhou province and Wuyuan in Jiangxi province.
For international travel, Japan, Maldives, Thailand, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Ireland are cited as the most popular destinations for off-peak travel, according to industry insiders.
Outbound tourism is undergoing a structural change. Several countries are now issuing visa-free entry to Chinese travelers, and with cheaper flights and hotels, residents of smaller cities are now taking advantage of cheaper international travel costs. The main destinations are Southeast Asian countries. said Kunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.
“Consumers in tier 1 cities are traveling more and spending more, even though they are not ordering as much international travel. It is a major source of tourists,” said Kunar researcher Kai Muzi.
