People pose for photo with a flower basket at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. - Photo: Xinhua
BEIJING (SCMP): Chinese travellers are set to journey farther and stay longer during the upcoming “golden week” holiday, as lower airfares and a growing appetite for cultural adventures fuel interest in faraway destinations within and outside China.
Some 60 per cent of Chinese domestic travellers would embark on long-haul trips over the seven-day National Day holiday, which starts on Tuesday, representing a significant increase from the 39 per cent estimated to travel long-haul last year, according to travel booking platform Trip.
Lower travel costs are one factor driving the trend, said Zhang Chen, vice-president of online travel platform Fliggy, noting that hotel and flight rates are more favourable compared to last year.
“Flight tickets weren’t particularly expensive this year,” said Yao Jiapei, a Shanghai-based educator who will be spending an extended holiday in Shenzhen and Macau.
The cheapest direct flight from Shanghai to Shenzhen during the holiday period started at just 297 yuan (US$42) before taxes, at least 200 yuan lower than typical peak-season fares.
The discounts also applied to other routes, with domestic airfares for the holiday season as of mid-September on average around 21 per cent cheaper than last year, reported Chinese flight data tracker Dast.
We see that Chinese travellers are venturing further in 2024, with October expected to be the peak season for outbound travel for the remaining months of this year .... Janice Meng, Dragon Trail International
Travellers are also venturing farther this year due to a growing desire to enjoy different scenery and culture, said Janice Meng, market research analyst at business consultancy Dragon Trail International.
"We see that Chinese travellers are venturing further in 2024, with October expected to be the peak season for outbound travel for the remaining months of this year," she said.
Searches for museum reservations and music events during the holiday have increased across various travel platforms.
Tourists visit the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in Hong Kong. - Photo: Jelly Tse/SCMP
Hugely popular game Black Myth: Wukong, which was only released a month ago, has also spurred a surge in tourism to the previously lesser-known cliffside temples and grottoes in China's central Shanxi province.
Reservations for tickets to scenic spots in Shanxi rose by 135 per cent during September's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, according to travel platform Tongcheng.
Chinese travellers venturing across its borders are especially active, with 70 per cent having taken part in a cultural activity while abroad, noted Meng, citing a recent company survey with over a thousand respondents with an interest in travel.
Yao travelled to Macau to attend a concert by South Korean rapper and singer I.M on Sunday, before taking the ferry and train back to Shenzhen to spend time with family.
"I like K-pop, but they cannot perform on the mainland. It's rare that the star I like is having a show around vacation time, so I decided to go spend a few days in Macau," she said.
Travel demand has remained strong for outbound trips, even amid a sluggish economy, with some 67 per cent of respondents to the survey by Dragon Trail International having either travelled or have plans to travel abroad this year.
The growing number of countries that Chinese travellers can enter visa-free, or with an easier visa application process, together with cheaper airfares and the resumption of global travel, has also helped.
Outbound travel reservations during the National Day holiday season have grown this year, according to various travel platforms.
While Hong Kong, Macau and neighbouring countries continue to top the list, long-haul destinations like Australia and the United Kingdom are gaining traction.
Tech worker Xia Zijian will be travelling 15 hours from Hangzhou to Melbourne in Australia on Tuesday to enjoy the cooler weather and take a road trip down the iconic Great Ocean Road.
He will also catch a concert by pop singer The Weeknd in Melbourne before returning to China.
"I don't like travelling to places with too many people, so I would rather spend a little more money to go abroad to have a better travel experience," said the 23-year-old.
And for Xia, with the National Day break China's longest holiday of the year excluding the Spring Festival at the start of the year which is traditionally spent with family, it makes sense for the bulk of the year's travel expenses to be spent at once.
China's air traffic volume during the golden week holiday is projected to well exceed pre-pandemic levels, with Dast reporting that an average of 2.3 million passengers are expected to fly per day, marking an 8.3 per cent increase from last year's National Day holiday and a 21.9 per cent rise compared to 2019.
Railway tickets are also being snapped up, with some 175 million passengers expected to travel by rail from Sunday until October 8, according to the China Railway Group.
Some of the most popular high-speed rail routes departing from the Yangtze Delta - a major metropolitan area encompassing Shanghai - during the holiday are over four hours long, covering destinations such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Kunming, according to the Shanghai Railway Bureau.
"Travellers on long-distance journeys typically stay at their destinations longer and engage in a wider variety of activities compared to those on short trips," said Fliggy's Zhang, who noted that an increasing number of travellers are seeking more authentic local experiences.
Last year, Chinese travellers made over 5.9 million outbound trips and 826 million domestic trips during the combined Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays, generating over 753 billion yuan (US$107 billion) in domestic tourism revenue, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
