Authorities on Friday restored group tour services for inbound tourists in an attempt to invigorate the economy and promote exchanges through tourism.
The decision was outlined in a circular released to the public by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which said that travel agencies across the country and online booking services were allowed from that day on to organize group tours serving foreigners visiting China and offer relevant services such as booking hotels and plane tickets.
Half an hour after the news was announced, the search of inbound air tickets on Ctrip increased by over 200%.
According to the latest data from Ctrip, from January to March this year, the overall bookings for inbound travel increased by 46% year-on-year, with inbound airline ticket bookings increasing by 168% year-on-year and the average price decreasing by 31%. Inbound hotel bookings increased by 27% year-on-year, and the average price of it decreased by 14% year-on-year. According to data from FlightAi, a market insight platform of Ctrip, as of March 30, the number of inbound flights in April recovered to over 30% of 2019, and the search volume on Ctrip increased by 370% year-on-year. In addition, the average price of a one-way inbound flight including tax reached about 2,500 yuan.
According to previous data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, among inbound foreign tourists in 2019 (including border travelers from neighboring countries), Asian travelers accounted for 75.9%, American traveler 7.7%, European travelers 13.2%, Oceanian travelers 1.9%, and African travelers 1.4%. According to the relevant public opinion survey, the top 10 sources of inbound tourists in 2019 are Japan, Australia, South Korea, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
Since the beginning of 2023, as China's economic situation continues to improve, international business travel has seen a strong recovery, with major Chinese cities becoming major destinations for foreign travellers, laying a good foundation for the recovery of inbound tourism. According to the analysis of Ctrip Research Institute, the gradual synchronization of the recovery of outbound and inbound tourism is conducive to the international competitiveness of China's tourism industry in the "post-pandemic era". Relevant Chinese tourism enterprises will be able to gain a larger share of the recovery dividend of international travel worldwide.
The inbound travel policy was further relaxed, and the search popularity of inbound air tickets increased by more than twice in half an hour
On March 31, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a notice to resume the operation of inbound group travel and "air ticket + hotel" business by travel agencies and online travel enterprises nationwide from now on.
The reporter learned that half an hour after the news was announced, the search popularity of inbound air tickets on Ctrip's platform increased by more than 200% month-on-month.
According to Ctrip's latest data, from January to March this year, the overall booking volume of inbound travel increased by 46% year-on-year, of which inbound air ticket bookings increased by 168% year-on-year, and the average price decreased by 31%. Inbound hotel bookings increased by 27% year-on-year, and average hotel booking prices decreased by 14% year-on-year. According to data from Ctrip's FlightAi market insight platform, as of March 30, the number of inbound flights in April recovered to more than 30% of 2019, the search volume on Ctrip's platform increased by 370% year-on-year, and the average one-way price including tax for inbound flights was 2,482 yuan.
According to previous data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in 2019, the number of foreign tourists entering China (including border residents from neighboring countries) accounted for 75.9% in Asia, 7.7% in the Americas, 13.2% in Europe, 1.9% in Oceania and 1.4% in Africa. According to relevant poll reports, the top ten source destinations for inbound tourism in China in 2019 are: Japan, Australia, South Korea, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia and Malaysia.
Since the beginning of the year, as the mainland's economic situation has continued to improve, international business travel has ushered in a strong recovery, and major Chinese cities have quickly become major destinations for foreign travelers, laying a good foundation for the resumption of inbound tourism. According to the analysis of Tongcheng Research Institute, the gradual synchronization of the recovery process of outbound and inbound tourism is conducive to the improvement of the international competitiveness of China's tourism industry in the "post-epidemic era", and relevant domestic tourism enterprises will be able to obtain a larger share of the recovery dividend of global international travel. (For more news, please pay attention to Yangcheng Pai pai.ycwb.com)
Yangcheng Evening News all-media reporter Liu Xingtong
Figure|Courtesy of OTA
Correspondent | Li Dong Rao Sibi
Translation | Liu Jiahui
Source | Yangcheng Evening News • Yangcheng Pie
Responsible Editor | Wang Nan