2023 B&B "Big Breakout" Ranking

The new hot land of B&B is becoming more dispersed and sinking

Text | Chen Xi, contributing writer of Caijing, and Liu Jianzhong, director of the Industrial Research Center

Edit | Liu Jianzhong

Many people have noted a strong recovery in tourism in 2023. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in the first three quarters of 2023, the total number of domestic tourists was 3.67 billion, a year-on-year increase of 75.5%, and the total domestic travel expenditure was 3.69 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 114%.

However, many people have not noticed that a large number of homestay businesses will be quietly established in 2023. This massive increase occurred in 2018. Figure 1 shows that in 2017, there were only 8,600 new registrations of homestays nationwide, but by 2018 they had surged to 22,000, an increase of 157%. From 2019 to 2022, there will be more than 30,000 new homestay companies every year, and the growth is relatively slow.

In 2023, in the first 10 months alone, the number of newly registered homestay enterprises in the country will reach 76,000, an increase of 149% over the same period in 2022.

As of the end of October 2023, there are 223,000 homestay-related enterprises in the country. This means that one out of every three B&Bs is newly registered this year (7.6/22.3=0.34).

Figure 1: The number and growth rate of homestay business registrations in the last decade

Note: Only the enterprise name, business scope, and brand containing "homestay" are counted

What is more striking, however, is that the growth of B&Bs in some areas is so staggering that it can be called a "big explosion".

Excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, there are more than 330 prefecture-level administrative units in the country

(hereinafter referred to as the "Region")

。 In some areas, due to the lack of tourism resources, homestays are scarce, on the contrary, other areas have better tourism resources and more homestays. In the first 10 months of 2023, there are 172 regions with more than 100 new homestay companies, accounting for more than half of the total number of prefecture-level administrative regions in the country.

Among the 172 regions, 30 regions have 2-3 times the number of new homestay enterprises registered in the first 10 months of this year, 20 regions have 3-5 times the number of new registrations in previous years, and 10 regions have more than 5 times the historical high.

The highest number of registrations in a region in previous years is recorded as A, and the number of registrations in the first 10 months of 2023 is recorded as B. Let's take a look at which areas have the largest multiple of B growth relative to A, that is, the "growth list" of B&Bs broke out.

B&B Outbreak Ranking - "Growth List"

Table 1 lists the top 20 regions with the highest growth times in homestay registrations, with 21-50 in endnote 1.

Table 1: Top 20 B&B Registration Growth Multiples in the First 10 Months of 2023 (Top 20)

Looking at Table 1, the top 10 have all increased by more than four times compared to the highest data in history. Hulunbuir, which ranked first, had 534 registrations in the first 10 months of this year, an increase of 9.08 times from the all-time high of 53. The second place Putian and the third place Lijiang increased by 8.33 times and 6.96 times respectively.

The fourth to tenth largest districts are Dali

(5.64x)

, Benxi

(4.26x)

sunshine

(4.18x)

Weihai

(4.16x)

Dalian

(4.14x)

, Xilin Gol

(4.09x)

, Xishuangbanna

(4.06x)

。    

New homestays in these areas tend to be concentrated near tourist attractions or tourist transit points with convenient transportation. For example, in Hailar and Manzhouli in Hulunbuir, new homestays account for 60% of the total number in Hulunbuir.

Hailar is the central city of Hulunbuir Grassland, which is easily accessible by plane and train. Tourists mostly choose to land in Hailar, and then depart from Hailar to reach the Hulunbuir grassland. Manzhouli is another transit point in Hulunbuir, which not only has grassland scenery, but also is a tourist attraction that integrates the cultures of China, Russia and Mongolia.

The new homestays in Putian are mainly concentrated on Meizhou Island in Xiuyu District. In addition to the blue sea and golden sand, Meizhou Island is also the location of the Mazu Temple and the birthplace of Mazu culture, attracting more than 2 million tourists to the island every year.

The top 20 areas in terms of homestay growth in 2023 have the following characteristics

：

First, the core cities in these regions tend to be lower-tier cities.

Most of the core cities in these fastest-growing regions are fourth- and fifth-tier cities. Among the top 20, there are no first-tier cities, 2 second-tier cities and 3 third-tier cities. The number of fourth- and fifth-tier cities is as high as 15.

(This is in stark contrast to the "number list" below, which reflects the number of homestay registrations in each region.) Among the top 20 cities in the "volume list", there are 9 first- or second-tier cities. ）

This shows that the homestay industry has accelerated its penetration into low-tier areas, and homestay entrepreneurship has "rolled" from high-tier areas to low-tier areas.

Second, tourism in western and remote areas is on the rise.

Among the top 20 regions, Yunnan has 5, Xinjiang has 2, and Inner Mongolia has 2. Remote areas such as the southwest and northwest are becoming hot spots for homestay entrepreneurship. Dali's Cangshan Erhai Lake, Nalati and Sailim Lake in Yili, the ancient city of Kashgar and the Pamir Plateau, the unique cultural charm and rich tourism resources of these areas have become the "Internet celebrity places" for many tourists to check in.

There are also four border cities in the top 20 of the "growth list": Manzhouli, Yanbian, Xishuangbanna and Dehong in Hulunbuir. Border tourism is becoming a trend. For example, Yanbian suddenly exploded this year, and the regional characteristics of the junction of China, North Korea, and Russia made it out of the circle.

Third, niche destinations are emerging.

Escaping the crowds and enjoying a slow life has become a new highlight of the tourism market. There are five relatively niche coastal cities in the top 20 of the "growth list": Rizhao, Weihai, Dalian, Huludao and Lianyungang. Beaches, islands, and marine parks, avoiding the surging crowds, and blowing the sea breeze are also good trips for many tourists.

Benxi and Xingtai in the "growth list" are also two relatively niche tourist destinations. Benxi County is the "hometown of maple leaves", and the autumn maple leaves are densely spread in the hillside valley, and more and more tourists come to enjoy the maple photography. According to statistics, during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day 8-day holidays, Benxi received a total of 395.6% year-on-year growth in tourists, and the comprehensive tourism income increased by 457.4% year-on-year. It truly shows the tourists' preference for Benxi's "reddest autumn in the north".

Xingtai's homestay industry is mainly concentrated along the Taihang Mountain Scenic Area. The traditional and simple mountain village environment has created a Taihang Mountain cultural homestay with northern characteristics, making Xingtai a popular destination for "so close, so beautiful, and going to Hebei on weekends".

B&B Outbreak Ranking - "Quantity List"

The "growth list" represents the rapid rise of a region's tourism popularity, and the "quantity list", which is ranked by the number of homestay registrations, can better reflect the real tourism popularity of a region. Table 2 lists the top 20 regions with the highest number of homestay business registrations in the first 10 months of 2023. The top 20 are listed in Table 2, and the 21-50 are listed in endnote 2.

Table 2: Top 10 B&B registrations in the first 10 months of 2023 (top 20)

Judging from the number of registrations in the first 10 months of 2023, the top 5 regions are Enshi

(3432)

, Luoyang

(2056 companies)

Dali

(1985)

, Iri

(1747)

and Ganzi

(1562)

。 In addition, Weihai, Xishuangbanna, Kunming, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Xi'an all registered more than 1,000 new homestays.

Among the 20 regions with the highest number of new registrations, Yunnan accounted for four

(Dali, Xishuangbanna, Kunming, Lijiang)

。 Yunnan is a veritable tourism province, Dali, Xishuangbanna and other places, not only the number of registrations, but also the growth rate is high. Zhejiang Province occupies three places

(Hangzhou, Huzhou, Jinhua)

, Zhejiang B&B started early and developed maturely, and the number of B&Bs is the highest in the eastern provinces.

In the top 20, nine of the region's core cities are first- or second-tier cities, including Kunming, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Shenyang, Qingdao, Chengdu and Chongqing.

Judging from the number of registrations, the popularity of tourism in large cities has not decreased. However, Hangzhou, Xi'an and Chengdu saw a decline in the number of new additions from their all-time highs.   

Another point worth noting is that the five ethnic minority areas of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, and Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture are all in the top eight of the "quantity list".

The unique ethnic customs and tourism resources of ethnic minority areas attract tourists to come and experience. Local villagers have upgraded their idle houses into homestays, which is convenient for tourists and has increased their income.

The reason for the explosion of B&B

There are five reasons why the number of homestays will skyrocket in 2023:

First, from 2020 to 2022, the tourism industry will be greatly affected. Some people originally had plans to open a store, but felt that the epidemic was not a good time, so they postponed the store opening plan. The demand for opening stores accumulated in the past three years will explode in 2023.

Second, because of the epidemic, fewer homestays have been opened and more homestays have been closed. In 2023, the tourism industry will resume and the demand for accommodation will rise, and many homestays will make a lot of money. This demonstration effect of making money has also triggered a boom in opening homestays.

Third, in 2023, there will be less money to do other jobs, or some people can't find a suitable job, and opening a homestay has become an option. In fact, most of the so-called "homestay enterprises" are individual industrial and commercial households. According to the data of the enterprise survey, individual industrial and commercial households account for about 80% of the total number of homestays. In Hulunbuir, Ganzi, Kashgar and other regions, individual industrial and commercial households account for more than 90%.

There are more and more "second-generation villagers" who choose to return to their hometowns to open homestays. According to the "Rural B&B Development Report for the First Half of 2023" released by Tujia B&B, the number of post-95 rural house practitioners in the first half of the year increased by 60% compared with the same period in 2019.

Fourth, changes in travel patterns and consumption habits.

"Sinking tourism" and rural tourism are heating up. Avoiding the crowds of popular attractions during the holidays and heading to off-the-beaten-path destinations or quiet countryside has become the choice of many tourists. B&Bs can bring an experience that is different from hotels, and the demand is rising.    

"Sleeping in the mountains and seas, living in human feelings" is no longer a process-based service, standardized rooms, and many homestays integrate diversified services and characteristic experiences in addition to "living well". "Parent-child Paradise", "Farming Experience", "Free Follow-up", "Camping and Barbecue", "Hot Spring Private Soup", "National Culture" and other "B&B +" products have captured the hearts of many tourists.

Compared with hotels, B&Bs also have a cost-effective advantage. This year, everyone is more cautious in spending money, and homestays play an important role in meeting the needs of many people and reducing accommodation costs.

Fifth, the homestay market ushered in policy dividends.

At the beginning of 2023, the No. 1 document of the central government proposed to "implement the rural leisure tourism boutique project and promote the quality and upgrading of rural homestays". Relevant policies in various localities continue to make efforts to guide the development and construction of rural homestays. The homestay industry has become a new bright spot in rural development in some areas.

epilogue

The booming B&B industry is a good thing. However, there is still a basin of cold water to be poured here.

The ideal homestay entrepreneurship is full of poetry and romance of "you have a story, I have wine", but the reality is busy, hard, wronged, and fiercely competitive. The homogenization of B&Bs is serious, and with the sharp increase in the number, the future will inevitably be the survival of the fittest.

At present, 80% of the B&Bs are individual industrial and commercial households, and many of them have no experience, lack of planning, lack of characteristics, backward management, and do not understand service.

The start-up investment in B&B is not small, with more than half of the B&B investment between 500,000 yuan and 5 million yuan. Entrepreneurial failure is enough to devastate a family's vitality.

Starting a business is not easy, not only to learn a lot, to do a lot, but also full of uncertain accidents. Entrepreneurs must look at the data more, look at the problem rationally, and must not rush in with enthusiasm and imagination. In the early stage, we wrote "Catering Entrepreneurship, Elimination Rate in 80 Cities". This series of reports advises everyone to think twice before starting a business.

When we see so many homestay entrepreneurs emerging in 2023, we are a little worried. Of course, the proliferation of homestays is a boon for travel enthusiasts. It is foreseeable that there will be more accommodation options in many scenic spots next year, and the prices will be more favorable. Readers and friends may wish to choose a place to relax in the ranking of Table 1-Table 4, which can also be regarded as a kind of support for homestay entrepreneurs.

Endnote 1: 2023 B&B Outbreak "Growth List"

Table 3: Ranking of B&B registration growth multiples in the first 10 months of 2023 (21-50)

Endnote 2: 2023 B&B Outbreak "Quantity List"

Table 4: Ranking of the number of homestay registrations in the first 10 months of 2023 (21-50)

Editor-in-charge | Xiao Zhenyu

Title Picture | Visual China, View Stock/VSI (Creative)

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