"May Day" tourism welcomes the peak of bookings: economy class tickets on popular routes are sold out, and European long-haul groups have recovered to 2019

Shortly after the Qingming holiday, tourists began to plan their outings for the "May Day" holiday again.

Recently, data from a number of online travel platforms show that after the Qingming holiday, the "May Day" holiday ushered in a peak of travel bookings.

Qunar data shows that since April 6, the number of air ticket bookings in popular cities during the May Day holiday has increased rapidly, with the number of single-day bookings exceeding the same period in 2023, and the average price paid for air tickets has equaled that of 2023, and the number of passengers during the May Day holiday is expected to hit a new high.

According to the data disclosed by Tongcheng Travel on April 12, the popularity of "May Day" related travel searches in the week after the Qingming Festival increased by more than 7 times month-on-month. The medium- and long-term tourism and outbound tourism markets are growing rapidly, with significant growth in the distance traveled and the number of days traveled.

According to industry analysts, the number of travelers during this year's "May Day" holiday is expected to significantly exceed that of the past few years.

According to Ctrip data, as of April 7, the search popularity of domestic hotels on May Day was the same as that of the same period in 2023, about twice that of the same period in 2019, and the search popularity of domestic air tickets on May Day increased by nearly 20% year-on-year and nearly 30% over the same period in 2019. Medium and long-term tourism has become the protagonist of the "May Day" holiday, accounting for 56%.

In terms of group tours, Tuniu's latest booking data shows that domestic long-haul tours will dominate tourism consumption during the May Day holiday, and the popularity of outbound travel will also increase significantly. According to the booking data of Spring and Autumn Tourism, as of now, the overall booking situation of the "May Day" holiday in 2024 has exceeded the level of the same period in 2023.

A large wave of outbound boom is coming, and the European long-term group has basically recovered to 2019

According to data from a number of travel platforms, outbound travel may usher in an outbreak during this year's "May Day" holiday.

According to the Spring and Autumn Tourism report, after the full recovery of outbound travel by Chinese citizens in the second half of 2023, various innovative tourism products have emerged one after another to meet the international travel needs of Chinese tourists. The biggest change during this year's May Day holiday is that the number of outbound travel bookings has nearly tripled year-on-year, especially for European long-haul tours, which have largely recovered to 2019 in April-May.

Visa data from Ctrip also shows that outbound travel visas for the May Day holiday have increased significantly since late February, with a month-on-month increase of more than three times in the week after the Spring Festival, and a steady increase of 50% per week. Judging from the current number of applicants, the number of signatures during the "May Day" holiday has increased by more than three percent year-on-year, and the transaction volume has exceeded that of the same period in 2019.

It is worth noting that in the same period last year, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries did not exempt China from visas. Ctrip pointed out that on this basis, the number of outbound travel visas is still growing year-on-year, indicating that this year's "May Day" will usher in a larger wave of outbound boom.

According to Spring Airlines data, the current outbound flight bookings during the "May Day" period are mainly concentrated in Singapore, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and other countries. On the one hand, with the change of seasons at the end of March, the corresponding number of international flights has increased, and on the other hand, the visa-free travel of Singapore and Thailand continues to drive the enthusiasm of Chinese tourists, and the voyages to China's neighboring countries are also relatively short, which is very suitable for the five-day holiday.

From the perspective of visa data, Ctrip data shows that the popular outbound travel countries on May Day include Japan, South Korea, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Canada, New Zealand, etc.

In addition, Tuniu's data shows that group tours, Japan-Korea cruises, and independent travel are all popular choices for outbound short-haul package travel product bookings, accounting for 40%, 30%, and 26% of the total number of outbound trips, respectively. In the booking of outbound short-term group tour products, the booking popularity of pure play and 0 shopping products of "air ticket + local group" and "air ticket + semi-self-service" in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket in Thailand, and Osaka, Nara, Kyoto and other destinations in Japan has increased significantly. In addition, the "Spectrum of the Seas: Shanghai-Fukuoka-Shanghai" on April 27, the "Aida Modu: Shanghai-Jeju-Fukuoka-Nagasaki-Shanghai" on April 30, and the "Spectrum of the Seas: Shanghai-Okinawa-Shanghai" on May 1 are also hotly booked.

It is difficult to "pick up" the prices of popular routes, and economy class tickets on many popular routes have been sold out

From the point of view of time, there are nearly two weeks before May Day, and many tourists are still waiting, waiting for a time to "get started" on the price.

Qunar data shows that as of April 10, the average price paid for domestic air tickets on May Day in 2024 is 990 yuan, slightly higher than that in 2023 and more than 60% in the off-season (March). Among the popular cities, the average price paid for flights departing from Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Tianjin is higher, while the average price paid for flights departing from Kunming, Chongqing, Wuhan, Changsha, Qingdao, and Zhengzhou is below the average.

However, on the Qunar platform, some flights on popular routes such as Beijing-Chengdu and Shanghai-Kunming have been upgraded to full price, while popular tourist routes such as Shanghai-Dali and Beijing-Dali have been sold out in economy class and have been upgraded to full-price business class.

Xiao Peng, a researcher at Qunar Big Data Research Institute, said: "This year's May Day travel demand is strong, and some routes will have the problem of insufficient tickets. If you don't have a clear direction for traveling, you can wait for the train ticket to go on sale on April 17 and try to pick up the leak. Low-cost tickets mostly appear in connecting flights, but you should pay attention to the transit time to avoid missing the flight, and calculate the price to include the infrastructure fuel cost of the two segments. ”

It is worth mentioning that during last year's "Eleventh" Golden Week, there was a big jump in air ticket prices 1-2 days before the holiday, and some passengers lost half of their ticket money before they traveled. Will this year's "May Day" air ticket price "take a big dive" before the holiday?

In this regard, Xiao Peng said: "The price of air tickets will be adjusted according to the actual sales of flights, and when the ticket sales do not meet expectations, airlines will reduce prices to attract passengers and increase the load factor." Judging from the booking situation of this year's 'May Day', it is difficult for the popular routes from big cities to dive in price, and only a few routes may be missed. ”

"In addition, this year's May Day after the holiday, so the return trip is more concentrated, it is recommended that passengers buy a return ticket before traveling. In terms of price, passengers can compare prices on multiple platforms before placing an order; pay attention to the cancellation and change policy before purchasing, and if they are not sure of the itinerary, they can purchase cancellation and change insurance products to avoid risks and losses; during the peak traffic congestion during the holiday, passengers are advised to go to the airport in advance to allow sufficient check-in time. Xiao Peng said.

Hotel bookings are initiated earlier than airline tickets. Qunar data shows that as of April 10, the number of hotel bookings in popular cities during the May Day holiday in 2024 has increased by 30% year-on-year, and the average price paid by hotels has decreased by 20%. (The Paper)