As 2023 draws to a close, how is the recovery of the tourism market this year? According to the latest Qunar Travel Data Report 2023, domestic air ticket bookings in 2023 will hit a record high, significantly exceeding the level of 2019, and hotel bookings in popular cities have increased by 1.1 times compared with 2019.
Air tickets and hotel bookings hit new highs
Entering 2023, passengers' travel demand and travel distance are at an all-time high, and everyone is more willing to go out for a walk, and the number of domestic air ticket bookings basically every month is higher than that of the same period in 2019, and the annual bookings have reached a record high.
In 2023, where are the popular destinations in China?Qunar data statistics, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Changsha, and Nanjing are among the top 10. In 2023, the average price paid by hotels will increase by 20% compared to 2019, and compared with economy hotels with higher price increases, high-end and luxury hotels will increase moderately, and travelers who are good at comparing prices can always pick up the cheapest.
The Beijing-Shanghai route remains the prime route for business travelers, with a 31-year-old passenger arguing to be the "busiest worker" in 2023, making 91 round-trips on this route, equivalent to a round-trip between Beijing and Shanghai every four days.
Some people are busy working, some people are busy traveling. In 2023, the largest number of outbound tourists will fly to 72 overseas cities, which is equivalent to changing to a new city every five days, and the most comfortable tourists will stay in luxury hotels in Phuket, Thailand for 21 consecutive days, enjoying the happiness of "lying flat".
In terms of age, the most flying seniors are 61 years old and will fly to 59 cities in 2023, while the most flying children are just 12 years old this year and visit 12 cities throughout the year.
Parent-child travel creates the hottest summer vacation in history
This year, many people's travel plans, which were delayed by the pandemic, were realized. From the perspective of cities, the new first-tier cities are the absolute main force of travel. The number of air ticket bookings for children from new first-tier cities is much higher than that of other cities, which is 2.2 times that of first-tier cities and 1.3 times that of second-tier cities in the same period.
In terms of age group, 13-18-year-old teenagers are the most motivated to travel, followed by 6-12-year-old primary school students. Teenagers aged 13-18 from the new first-tier cities account for the largest proportion, and teenagers from second-tier cities also contribute a large proportion of air trips.
Big cities with "must-see" attractions are the first choice for traveling with children, and tourist cities with beautiful natural scenery are also favored. On the Qunar platform, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Sanya, Xi'an, Kunming, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Haikou, and Shenzhen are the top 10 destinations most popular for children in big cities in 2023.
Especially in the summer vacation, the consumption driving ability of child passengers is obvious, and one child passenger can usually drive 1-2 adult passengers to accompany them. Travelers traveling with children for the first time are more willing to pay for quality, taking a five-day trip to Beijing for a family of three as an example, it is expected to drive at least 7,000 yuan in consumption. According to the data, 41% of tourists with children book high-star hotels, which is higher than the average (30%), and the comprehensive consumption of food and beverage and scenic spot tickets is 1.4 times that of ordinary tourists.
In 2023, more and more young people will have the experience of traveling by air for the first time. According to the report, young travelers aged 6-18 have the most significant growth rate in their first air tickets, an increase of 65% year-on-year in 2019, and they tend to focus on this year's summer vacation, creating the hottest summer in history. Equally enthusiastic are elderly travelers, with the proportion of the elderly's first ticket in their lives returning to pre-pandemic levels, with 8% over 60 years old.
New Year's Eve special events bring fire to tourism consumption
As the beginning of tourism consumption in 2024, various places have launched a wealth of New Year's Eve activities during the New Year's Day holiday to drive surrounding tourism consumption bookings. On the Qunar platform, the number of advance ticket bookings for Shanghai Disneyland, Universal Beijing Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, Chimelong Theme Park, and Harbin Ice and Snow World increased by 1.1 times.
Young people's New Year's Eve is indispensable, and many travelers choose to spend Chinese New Year's Eve in hotels. Shanghai, Nanjing, Sanya, Guangzhou and Beijing have a high number of hotel bookings for the New Year's Eve (December 31 to January 1), especially the view rooms of luxury (five-star) and high-end hotels are the most popular.
In some "small" cities with characteristics, people travel here because of their special cultural characteristics and cultural performances, and hotel bookings in "small" cities with New Year's Eve cultural performances have increased by more than 2 times during the New Year's Day.
As the northernmost and highest latitude city in China, Mohe in Heilongjiang can see the gorgeous aurora in winter, as well as the snow-covered birch forest, allowing you to get up close and personal with reindeer. On the Qunar platform, the number of air ticket bookings to Mohe during the New Year's Day period increased by 70% compared with 2019, and the number of hotel bookings increased by 3 times.
On New Year's Eve, there will be a grand fireworks display in Liuyang, Hunan, from the fireworks show at 8 p.m. to the national tide music party, and there will be New Year's Eve fireworks at 0 o'clock. In the past month, the search volume of hotels in Liuyang has increased by 2 times month-on-month. In Foshan, Guangdong, intangible cultural heritage New Year's Eve performances such as iron flowers, fire dragon dances, and glow-in-the-dark lions will attract many people, and hotel bookings during the New Year's Day period will increase by 8 times compared to 2019.
According to the prediction of Qunar Big Data Research Institute, the civil aviation market is expected to continue to grow next year, and the number of passengers will continue to increase, especially in the peak season of summer vacation, creating a new peak. Passenger traffic is expected to increase by 19% next year compared to 2023 and 23% compared to 2019.
Source: Author: Li Baohua