Dianping's annual trend: crowding fireworks and vegetable fields and pouring into college cafeterias

This original article is from the WeChat public account: DT Business Observation, ID: DTcaijing, text: Zheng Xiaohui Data: Zheng Xiaohui, Design: Qi Tonghui Operation: Su Hongrui, Producer: Li Jingyu.

If you had to use one word to represent the offline travel economy in 2023, which word would you pick?

Special Forces, CityWalk, Concerts, ...... These words that are out of the circle on a large scale can actually be summed up in two words - experience.

According to a consumer research report released by DT Business Observer in December 2023, nearly 6 adults have increased their spending on services such as travel and performances.

In order to have a better experience and stronger emotional value, people flexibly move their mental accounts to update their needs and perceptions in terms of travel.

What are the new travel trends of young people during the year, and what are the specific consumer, cultural and social needs behind them?

Tracing the travel path of young people from doing strategies, planting grass, participating to recording, we found that Dianping, which has all kinds of eating, drinking and entertainment information, is a platform that many young people can't avoid.

Whether it's traveling, eating, having fun or shopping, every time they go to a new place, young people are Xi opening Dianping first, searching and browsing real reviews and in-depth note-taking strategies.

Therefore, we have summarized the "2023 Dianping Travel Trend Report" based on Dianping's rich user-native content.

Trend 1: "Urban life units" such as vegetable markets and university canteens are sought after

As the top lifestyle of this year, CityWalk has derived vegetable market tours, market tours (morning market, night market), community tours and college canteen tours in different scenarios.

They all point to the same travel trend among young people – the principle of proximity, re-awareness of one's daily life circle, and the re-establishment of links with the neighborhood.

First and foremost, young people are keen to explore the city's unique DNA through CityWalk. Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Nanjing, and Xi'an are the top 10 cities with the most notes on Dianping this year.

It is worth mentioning that on Dianping, in addition to the food CityWalk route, there are also many people who recommend the cultural and historical route that "only locals know".

Starting from Liwan Lake Park, people can feel the leisure and romance of the old Guangxi Guan culture. If you walk along the powder alley of old Xi'an, you will also have the opportunity to hear the legend of buying rouge and the emperor's choice of concubines in the past.

Secondly, young people like to visit the vegetable market, morning market, and night market, and can't help but be attracted by the snack street full of fireworks, rich and diverse stalls, and the atmosphere full of youthful vitality.

Especially the night market. In Dianping's "vegetable market/morning market/night market" related notes and strategies, "night market" is the keyword that appears the most, followed by "food" and "fireworks".

As one of Beijing's two famous night markets, Beijing's Panjiayuan Ghost Market has quickly become a local nightlife gathering place since its return this year. With a dazzling array of antiques, trendy toys and other special goods, a market-like atmosphere, and nearby snacks such as fried cakes, fried liver, and grilled lamb skewers, almost no one can resist such a "treasure hunt".

With the gradual opening of many universities to the outside world, the "high-quality and inexpensive" college canteens have also become a "paradise for poor ghosts" and "a good place for weekend CityWalk" for local young people.

In the notes and strategies related to "college cafeterias" on Dianping, the prices of "not expensive", "affordable" and "cheap" are highly praised, followed by the dishes are "rich", the portions are "large", and the taste is "good".

If you don't know what to eat, just follow the longest queue in the cafeteria, and you can't go wrong.

As a result, many university canteens have been highly recognized by the public. In Shanghai, there are Tongji University and Fudan University, which are used by many food bloggers as a tour to visit the restaurant, in Guangzhou, there is South China Normal University, which is called the "South China Eating University" by college students, and in the northeast, there is the Northeast Agricultural University, which is said to be a "food paradise".

Young people are also keen to explore "flavors of other places" and "characteristics of other countries" locally, focusing on a "province in situ" and "going abroad in situ".

According to the statistics of Dianping, Shanghai's "Korea Street", Beijing's Chaoshan food gathering place "Xiluoyuan", and Guangzhou's "Xinjiang Block" Baohanzhi Street...... The local search volume of these keywords has increased by more than 150% year-on-year, and the number of notes has doubled.

"This is not South Korea, it's in Shanghai!", "Guangzhou's 'Little Xinjiang', a mountain of baked naan" and "Obviously in Beijing, but one bite down but back to Chaoshan" have become popular comments.

From CityWalk, night markets, college canteens, to going out of the province in situ, and going abroad in situ, this mainly reflects two changes in young people's consumption and psychology.

In terms of consumption, young people pursue "decent frugality" and do not have to spend a lot of money to enjoy life - whether it is CityWalk, roaming in the vegetable market or food tour in the college cafeteria, it is basically an affordable lifestyle.

Psychologically, after three years of the new crown epidemic, young people are like sponges that have dried up for a long time, with a strong desire to perceive their surroundings and desire to be satisfied by offline scenes full of fireworks.

Trend 2: Reject the "pull-up group tour" and experience the "in-depth theme tour" in relaxation

In the "Domestic Youth Tourism Report" released by DT Business Observer in 2022, it has been found that travel methods with the nature of punching in, shopping, and joining groups are not very popular with young people, and the post-95s and post-00s hate group tours the most.

In 2023, young people will emphasize more initiative and subjectivity in tourism, not to be at the mercy of others, but to choose how to spend every moment of the moment.

In smaller cities, people tend to start with local specialties. Like "Zibo Barbecue Tour" and "Shunde Taste Bud Tour", both focus on "eating is the first priority".

In Shunde, everyone enjoys the "original taste" of food. Including whether the ingredients of the sashimi are fresh, whether the meat quality of the roast goose is delicious, and whether the taste of the tangerine peel beef balls is chewy and elastic.

From private dishes, porridge bottom hot pot, and yusheng at more than 100 yuan per capita, to roast goose and morning tea at about 60 yuan per capita, and then to claypot rice, beef offal, and sugar water at about 30 yuan per capita......

The traditional sense of "Internet celebrity stores" will automatically fade in Shunde, and the "Pingliang Zheng food stalls" full of locals on the street are the most worthy of queuing.

In big cities, especially in first-tier cities, people prefer to start with "modern market life", that is, offline scenes that integrate traditional culture and modern new business formats, and deeply explore the invisible scenery on the commuting road.

For example, the "Old Beijing Hutong Tour" is not only a cultural tour where you can learn Xi traditional knowledge, but also a very chill leisure tour in Beijing.

According to data from Dianping, since March 2023, the search volume of popular areas such as Wudaoying Hutong, Dongsi Shitiao, and Guozijian has increased by nearly 200%, and related notes such as "Hutong cycling" have increased by nearly 200% year-on-year, and the number of new merchants in the "Dongsi" business district has reached nearly 300, and the number of nighttime orders has also doubled.

On local life content platforms such as Dianping, local clubs that plan "theme tours" have emerged, and they have become a trendy way to travel by posting information about various activities through notes and recruiting young people in the same city to participate. Dianping data shows that since September, nearly 1,000 related theme activities have been added to the platform.

If a migrant worker in Beijing wants to experience an in-depth tour of the hutongs, then this day will probably be spent like this:

In the morning, go to the Lama Temple to pay homage and ask for a bracelet, in the afternoon, ride along Wudaoying Hutong Road to the newly opened independent coffee shop or new teahouse, eat a skewer in the evening, and then go to the craft beer bar for two glasses to feel the unique atmosphere of the capital in the drunkenness.

To a certain extent, in-depth theme tours such as the Shunde Taste Bud Tour and the Old Beijing Hutong Tour are also an extension and upgrade of CityWalk, but the experience is more concentrated and in-depth.

At best, in the era of information explosion, people are tired of the homogeneous "second-hand life" on the Internet, and they are more eager for "first-hand information" - and the best "first-hand information" is to be there in person, touch the texture of the building with your hands, and smell the smell of steamed buns and coffee in the air on the terrace.

More specifically, it is a concrete action for people to take control of their lives, abandoning the idea of "a sense of gain". Just like the "vertical pit" of different hobby circles, when young people regard travel and tourism as a hobby, they are also willing to "plunge" into the local characteristic culture and obtain richer dopamine.

Trend 3: No matter i people or e people, they all love "outdoor + light socialization"

When the outdoor wind blows harder, this year's outdoor travel trend has also been updated.

First of all, outdoor sports combined with seasonal scenery and culture naturally grow into a "taste period tour".

In particular, the various new outdoor games in autumn represented by "basking in autumn" can be said to have evolved a new branch "Mountain Walk" from City Walk.

Since September 2023, the search volume for "sunbathing autumn" on Dianping has increased by 220% year-on-year, and the search volume for the related term "outdoor hiking" has also increased by 370%. More than 8 percent of the people who have been cured by the "red mountains and forests" are young people between the ages of 20 and 35.

One Dianping user described the joy of hiking in autumn as follows: "Hiking to pick raspberries in autumn is a blessing from nature. Hiking is not a measure of footsteps, but a comfort for the soul. ”

Another new trend of outdoor travel is more focused on young people's socialization, "both travel and socialization".

Dianping's club is the bridge that carries the rise of this trend.

For example, this year, many ski clubs have launched "ski tours" on Dianping. Compared with consumers' own DIY ski itineraries, ski clubs are often equipped with a professional coach team, integrating training, retail, clubs, and ski resorts, and the price is also preferential, which is very friendly to young people who pursue cost-effective and trouble-saving.

The skiing "opening group" jointly launched by Shanghai Spade Club and Dianping has attracted the attention of many new users. "This year, 1,200 people participated, and 5 percent signed up through content platforms such as Dianping, and the total number of people increased by 40% compared with last year," shared the relevant person in charge of the Club of Spades.

Another typical example of young people participating in outdoor activities through clubs is the "park peek-a-boo" that exploded this autumn and winter.

Since September 2023, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Hangzhou have become the top 3 cities with the most "hide and seek" activities on Dianping. The young people who participate in the peek-a-boo activities initiated by the club on Dianping are also concentrated in first-tier and new first-tier cities, and 50% are men and women.

The abundant activities also stimulated the creative enthusiasm of young people.

Judging from the relevant notes and strategies on Dianping, there are two main types of positive emotional words, one is related to the social attributes in the game, such as "team building", "making friends" and "little friends", and the other is related to the game experience, and everyone generally feels "happy", "decompressed" and "interesting".

These two new trends in outdoor travel correspond to two characteristics.

First, outdoor travel is routine, but it still pursues freshness. In DT Business Insights' 2022 survey, people agree that the meaning of travel is to relax and unwind, but also to gain freshness and new knowledge, and this will continue in 2023.

The second is the socialization of outdoor travel. Young people can break the dimensional wall of the crowd and build a new social circle in outdoor group sports with low threshold and strong interaction.

After the club activities, people who have a tacit understanding with each other can add friends, have dinner together to replenish their energy, and even make an appointment to play frisbee together, go hiking, etc., in the future, which derives a longer-term interaction.

How are young people's travel trends discovered and expanded?

Behind the rise of every new trend, there is usually a traceable path.

The popular travel trends that have become popular on Dianping can be broken down from the three stages of travel, namely before, during and after travel.

Before traveling, young people are often "raiders". Online content platforms are not only the entrance to young people's consumption decisions, but also the beginning of mining trends.

It's easy to understand. There are a large number of real reviews and strategy notes on Dianping, which can provide young people with basic information and in-depth strategies for the above new trends.

Just as young people have Xi become accustomed to taking out Dianping to see recommended dishes, the latest reviews and negative reviews before ordering food, young people will also go to Dianping to search for introductions of venues and scenic spots, such as vegetable markets, college canteens, and hutongs when they go to a new destination......

In the process of searching, young people can directly sign up for activities initiated by the club on Dianping, which will help the trend continue to go out of the circle.

The clubs that settle on the platform are just like the food and beverage stores, and often have comprehensive business information, price discounts, and a large number of real food, drink and entertainment information and reviews.

Through local lifestyle content platforms such as Dianping, young people can not only discover new trends in a timely manner, but also reduce the time cost of finding event organizations. Autumn sunbathing, ski tours, park peek-a-boo...... These are all the cases mentioned above.

Even if you don't participate in club activities, young people's check-in records, real reviews and note-taking tips during and after the trip will help amplify the trend.

According to Ipsos' Travel Industry Insights 2023, among the 18-29 age group, nearly 4 adults are more Xi to checking in and sharing on life sharing platforms during travel, and the proportion is higher than that of social media platforms and travel content platforms.

This also means that young people will further enrich the real evaluations and strategy notes on Dianping during and after traveling, increase the popularity of trends, and expand the radiation crowd of new trends.

As a result, Dianping continues to become a "cyber archive space" for young people's new lifestyle trends, forming a dual closed loop of content and experience both offline and offline, before and after travel.

It is worth mentioning that we have also found that Dianping is not only the source of new trends, but also a transit point for young people to turn their interests into careers. Many young people have changed from ordinary note-taking strategy creators to full-time bloggers in a certain category.

Young people are not only people who discover trends, but also people who take the initiative to build momentum after gaining insight into the real needs of young people.

For content platforms such as Dianping, this will also be one of the sources of new travel trends in the future.