The ice and snow world "absorbs gold" fever

Economic Observer Network reporter Ye Xinran Xiao Yuan described the process of booking air tickets as "shocking". A few days ago, Xiao Yuan booked a round-trip ticket from Chengdu to Harbin online during the New Year's Day holiday, and after a while, the price when the order was submitted increased by 200 yuan compared with when he first clicked in. Ms. Wang also had the same experience, in late November, Ms. Wang found that the price of the Snow Village B&B was almost one price a day, and saw the price rise from more than 200 yuan to more than 500 yuan, and then to more than 700 yuan, and now it has risen to more than 1,000 yuan a night. The reporter searched on the online platform and found that many homestays in Snow Township showed that they were full during the New Year's Day.

The Northeast ice and snow tour has "exploded" this year, with air ticket prices rising and accommodation fees doubling, and a large number of people flocking to the ice and snow world.

The Northeast is "hot"

Mafengwo's data on December 15 shows that in the past week, the popularity of Harbin Ice and Snow World has increased by 200% month-on-month, and Heilongjiang Yabuli Ski Resort has topped the list of popular ski resorts in the country with a 120% increase in popularity. The popularity of Changbai Mountain has increased by 240% in the past month.

According to Fliggy's recent report, compared with last year, the reservation rate of "stay + slide" hotel packages related to ice and snow tours launched during this year's "Double 11" has increased rapidly, and at least one-third of consumers have completed the write-off. In terms of group tours, the write-off rate of "snow goods" covering Harbin, Changbai Mountain, Mohe and other destinations is the highest more than 90%.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Heilongjiang Yabuli Ski Resort has had an average daily visitor volume of about 5,500 people and a maximum single-day reception of about 7,500 people since the ski resort "opened" on November 9, far exceeding the level of the same period in previous years.

Previously, the industry generally expected that the 2023-2024 snow season would be the first full snow season in the "post-Winter Olympics era", and the domestic ski market would usher in a strong recovery.

Hong Dongyang, general manager of Harbin Kaz International Tourism Co., Ltd., has already felt the momentum of this recovery. Hong Dongyang said that his company mainly focuses on Heilongjiang ice and snow tourism, Changbai Mountain, and Mohe tourism projects. Because the company's business is mainly for parents and children, basically the peak period of the company's passenger flow is basically the winter vacation every year, and the company will launch a tour group of 30 people at that time, but on December 20 this year, the tour group of 30 people has been formed. In Hong Dongyang's impression, there was not much passenger flow during Christmas and New Year's Day in the past, but this year's popularity is ahead of schedule, and the company has received a lot of parent-child travel orders through vertical platforms such as Maitao parent-child, "This year can even be described by extreme words such as 'the hottest ice and snow season'."

Qiqi, the manager of Kazi International Youth Hostel on Tongjiang Street in Harbin, said that basically the rooms are full on weekends, and the rooms for 8 people will be fully booked, and there will be more empty rooms only on Mondays and Wednesdays. At present, room orders have been scheduled until the end of February.

Friends who are familiar with Internet "stalks" can find that this year's dynamic sharing of netizens on social media can be seen everywhere in the copywriting similar to "It's not that Northern Europe can't afford to go, but the Northeast is more cost-effective". Take a commemorative photo at the gate of Sophia Cathedral in Harbin, chase the aurora in Mohe, and feed the elk in the deer tribe...... Tourists who have experienced it feel as if they have gone to Moscow, Iceland and Finland.

Ice and Snow World has realized the freedom of southerners to play in the snow. Tongcheng Travel data shows that tourists who pay attention to skiing in the winter of 2023 are mainly from Jiangsu, Shanghai, Guangdong, Hubei, Zhejiang and other provinces and cities.

Hong Dongyang told reporters that this year, China's northernmost Chengmo River, is a destination highlight. Before the pandemic, Mohe couldn't even rank in the top 10 of popular destinations, but now it's in the top three.

The growth in demand is driving up the price of resources. A homestay owner said that the most popular accommodation is in the snow town of Heilongjiang, and the price has risen three times this year compared with the past, and the price of accommodation will nearly double in the next 10-15 days.

The reporter learned that the rise in accommodation prices is driven by demand on the one hand, and on the other hand, there are many more "vacant companies" in the Northeast tourism market this year, which will contract some popular hotel rooms in advance, which leads to more middle layers and layer upon layer of price increases.

Skiing "out of the loop"

Skiing is also "out of the loop" this year. A "post-95" professional ski instructor in Jilin Province said that the number of online consultations and reservations has increased significantly this year, and he has accumulated more than 100 students' reservation lists. In order to cope with the popularity, he opened different periods of matinee all-day, matinee three-hour, and night session.

In skiing, the largest proportion of spending is on bringing your own ski equipment. Clothes from the inside out need quick-drying clothes, snow suits, waterproof pants, in addition to snowboards, bindings, helmets, snow goggles, protective gear, etc. Some skiing "Xiaobai" said that people have not yet gone to the Northeast, and the purchase of ski equipment has cost about 10,000 yuan.

The owner of Changbai Mountain ski suit rental told reporters that snow suits, goggles, protective gear, and gloves are packaged together for rental, and the package price ranges from 100 yuan to 600 yuan.

Hong Dongyang observed that the number of participants in the ski suit rental business has increased significantly this year. Many hotels are now offering this service as well, which was not available before. In addition, the reporter noticed that on social media, some ski instructors also double as ski suit rentals.

Despite the popularity of skiing, some practitioners have expressed concerns. A ski instructor said that this year, there are many novice skiers in the ski resort, many people come with the mentality of experience, and there are also many young people who are taking pictures.

New travel, new ways to play

Northeast tourism has added many popular routes this year. Hong Dongyang introduced that this year, a new tour route has been added to go deep into the Evenki tribe of the ethnic minority in the Daxing'an Mountains, such as tourists learning from hunters Xi feeding reindeer with moss, and experiencing the Basque Festival of the Evenki people. Compared to before, the tour route will be more interactive and engaging.

According to the "Research Report on "New Ways to Play in Global Travel" 2023 (hereinafter referred to as the "New Gameplay Report") jointly released by the China Tourism Academy and Mafengwo, the Northeast has performed eye-catching in terms of gameplay innovation, not only reflected in Heilongjiang's entry into the top five domestic "provinces that can play" in 2023 with the five new gameplay on the list, but also reflected in the fact that the "new gameplay" in Northeast China is breaking people's inherent impression of Northeast tourism.

Heilongjiang's new ways to play on the list include: winter hunting in Taoshan Hunting Ground, encountering the "Louvre" in Northeast China - Harbin Pharmaceutical No. 6 Factory, experiencing the Harbin Diamond Sea at minus 20 degrees in the beach tribe, and taking an airboat to Russia for one minute at the Heihe Estuary. The "New Gameplay Report" pointed out that this is in line with the travel mentality of young people who pursue individuality, excitement and beauty.

According to the "New Play Report", the per capita consumption of tourists in Heilongjiang is 2,000-5,000 yuan, accounting for 26.2%, and the per capita consumption of 5,000-10,000 yuan accounts for 18%.

On social media, the check-in pictures of tourists who experience the rime rafting in Changbai Mountain and the photo of the "North Korean Princess" in Yanji Folk Garden have repeatedly come out of the circle, which has promoted the above projects to become a big hit. In addition, the Tohoku morning market, which is full of delicious food, has also become popular. Kiki said that there are a lot of residents who get up at 6 o'clock in the morning to check in at the morning market on Hongzhuan Street, which has never been done before, "There is a saying that '8 in the morning is not good, but the morning market is OK'." ”

The popularity of the more down-to-earth Northeast morning market shows that tourism can no longer include those attractions in the traditional sense. Mafengwo pointed out that adapting measures to local conditions is one of the important reasons for the sustainable vitality of "new gameplay".

According to the "New Gameplay Report", on the list of China's "Top 100 'New Gameplay'", "humanistic experience" ranks first with a proportion of 39%. According to the report, tourism has entered a new era, and it is more attractive to young people to have a trendy and "sophisticated" experience than to arrive at a destination.

New demand is also forcing travel providers to launch more refined travel services. Hong Dongyang said that this year, we can clearly feel the development trend of industry segmentation and refinement, such as now there are special photography groups, script killing groups, and a variety of customized groups, consumers are more segmented, and their needs are more emphasis on in-depth experience.

However, some in-depth observers of the travel industry pointed out that most of the Northeast tourism is still doing business in the traditional way. Not long ago, a well-known blogger posted a video on the Internet to break the news that the price of Harbin Snow Town tour groups is chaotic, and the price difference between high-priced groups and ordinary groups is doubled, but the service is almost the same. In addition, a large number of consumers shared their "stepping on the pit" experience of Yanji photo shooting being arbitrarily increased and tour groups encountering hidden consumption on the Internet. The above-mentioned observers pointed out that Northeast tourism also needs to improve the degree of refinement and upgrade the format.