Good news, the May Day holiday is coming
Bad news, it's going to be crowded again
The grievances and class flavors accumulated by the migrant workers in the boxy office every day are looking forward to opening their bellies and drying their bellies in this small long vacation
This is not yet the day of the holiday, and the Hongqiao high-speed rail station has started the crowded mode
The following is sent by a friend who rushed to the high-speed rail, the live situation of the Hongqiao high-speed rail station at around 12:40 on April 30, 2024
The airport is no exception, and early in the morning the queue is already three circles on the left and three circles on the right
I'm curious about where you're going to go during the long holiday and what the real May Day situation is
Bingo, a combination of turtles
01
The first thing that makes people's jaws drop is the big dive in air tickets
I don't know if everyone has encountered a ticket assassin this May Day
Ticket diving isn't news, but it's really irritating to jump so many at once
For the air ticket from Shanghai to Chengdu, the ticket price booked in advance by my friend is 2870 yuan/person for the same flight
Approaching May Day, the ticket price suddenly became 777 yuan / person, a direct difference of 4 digits
It is equivalent to buying a piece of clothing in full, and after payment, I found that this dress was suddenly discounted by 2.7%.
This leek is cut, and whoever puts it on it will be on fire
But my other friend was even more unlucky
She held a wedding during May Day, so she booked tens of thousands of yuan in air tickets for her relatives in advance
The unit price is 1690 yuan/person, but when I looked at it again two days ago, the ticket price had become 1235 yuan/person
If you do the math, you will find that even if you deduct the refund fee and buy it again, it is still more cost-effective than the original booking price
So she refunded the ticket and rebooked, and after one operation, in addition to the refund fee, it saved more than 3,000 yuan compared with the original
And she also said excitedly that if she unsubscribed and rebought yesterday, she could even save more than 6,000 yuan
What a grievance
02
Although air tickets have plunged, hotel prices have increased significantly
This year's increase of more than 200% is not in the first-tier cities, but in the small cities of Tonglu, Dalian, Datong and Harbin
One of the most conspicuous is Tonglu, a county under the jurisdiction of Hangzhou, where the price of chain hotels has skyrocketed by 310%
From 251 yuan/night before the festival, it directly crossed to 1028 yuan/night
Data compiled from: Meituan, Ctrip
So why Tonglu, which rose by 310% this year?
It is often said that there is heaven and Suzhou and Hangzhou below, and we will subconsciously feel that Suzhou and Hangzhou are the first choice for tourism
But the reality is that Tonglu, a small county town with mountains and rivers, has attracted everyone's attention
I checked the information and found that Tonglu is a piece of jade at all, and the scenery is simply beautiful
The famous painting "Fuchun Mountain Residence" created by the Yuan Dynasty painter Huang Gongwang mostly depicts the scenery of Tonglu
Compared with the mature and commercial atmosphere, the natural scenery of the clouds and mountains and the rivers are indeed more suitable for migrant workers who want to return to nature and love the beauty of mountains and rivers to relax
The picture source Tonglu released
Especially for those who like to hike, Daqi Mountain, the first mountain in the south of the Yangtze River with strange rocks, canyons and waterfalls, is simply a place of pilgrimage
The picture source Tonglu released
In order to relax and enjoy the beautiful nature, there are people who are willing to spend a lot of money, and it is very reasonable that the price of accommodation will go up
In fact, the tourism Internet celebrity check-in places that have risen in the past two years, such as Harbin, Tianshui, Jingdezhen, and Zibo, are all the same reason, paying more attention to the sense of experience rather than the sense of form
03
When it comes to tourist destinations, people also prefer more cost-effective niche attractions
In fact, the overseas travel market also rose year-on-year during the May Day period
According to the forecast of the National Immigration Administration, the average daily entry and exit of people at ports across the country during the May Day holiday this year will reach 1.76 million, an increase of 40.5% over the same period last year
The inbound and outbound passenger flow of large international airports such as Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou Baiyun, Beijing Capital, Chengdu Tianfu and Hangzhou Xiaoshan is also growing steadily
However, the volume of overseas travel is certainly not as large as the volume of domestic travel
As of April 26, the number of air ticket bookings for inbound and outbound routes exceeded 860,000, but the number of air ticket bookings for domestic routes has exceeded 4.77 million, more than 5.5 times the number of bookings for overseas routes
Data sources: Air Travel, Ctrip, Fliggy
According to data from the Tongcheng Travel Platform, the popularity of train tickets and air tickets arriving in third-tier cities and below (including county-level cities) on April 29 and 30 this year increased by more than 200% week-on-week
The relaxed holiday model of a small town is significantly more popular
Moreover, Ctrip's "2024 May Day" Travel Trend Insight Report shows that as of April 15, 2024, hotel bookings in county markets during the May Day holiday have increased by 68% year-on-year, and scenic spot ticket orders have increased by 151% year-on-year, which is higher than the national market
Source: CCTV
This has been followed by a significant increase in tourists in small counties, such as Tonglu, where the price of hotels has risen sharply as we mentioned earlier
Source: Xiaohongshu Author@Eli-
In addition, in this year's domestic travel, the enthusiasm of Hong Kong and Macao tourism is even higher
First, it is because Hong Kong and Macao residents and mainland residents continue to travel in both directions from the north to the south
Second, during the May Day period, a number of large-scale performing arts activities and fireworks displays will be held in Hong Kong and Macao
For example, on the evening of May 1 this year, the 2024 Victoria Harbour Fireworks Display + Drone Show will be held at the Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront Garden and the Wan Chai Temporary Waterfront Garden
It attracted a large number of inland residents to watch, and our company's personnel lady set off for Hong Kong yesterday
However, the most noteworthy phenomenon of this year's May Day is that the popular tourist destinations are concentrated in small counties
Whether it's a ticket or a hotel, the number of bookings is particularly high
Small cities such as Anji, Tianshui, Quanzhou, Beihai and Liuzhou have become niche treasure destinations recommended to each other on social media
According to the data released by Fliggy on the "2024 May Day Holiday Travel Vane", the number of bookings for group tours has doubled, and car rentals have increased by more than 5 times
The way to travel by car is very convenient, and it is more suitable for everyone to take a trip to the mountains and countryside
Many young people who plan to travel to the county will also check in the top 100 counties as a new idea for May Day tourism
Source: Hospitality Shandong Official
The "small town" with its long history, traditional architecture, and unique experiences is gradually favored by many tourists
In fact, just look at the tourist cities that have become popular in the past year or two
In the choice of travel destinations, everyone has gradually changed from following the trend to go to big cities and famous scenic spots to check in, to returning to rationality, returning to self, and paying for their own experience
For example, Zibo
From the initial barbecue, to the later old Chinese medicine pulse diagnosis, Chinese painting masters, to this year's May Day will hold a variety of talk shows, markets, concerts, Huimin performances, etc., continue to maintain enthusiasm for tourists
Source: Cultural Tourism Zibo Official
From appetite to spiritual needs, the one-stop arrangement is clear and clear, racking your brains to please tourists
Spending less money and enjoying more services is not more fragrant than going to the big city
Another example is Harbin
At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, the ice and snow world exploded, attracting waves of southern golden potatoes
Beautiful ice sculptures are paired with stewed geese in an iron pot, and a long snow slide is paired with a warm indoor oven
The strong temperature difference stimulates the senses, and the high-energy price difference brings a cost-effective feeling of happiness
Interestingly, during the May Day period, there was wind and rain in many places in China
Harbin has also found a new way to attract new tourists by playing the highlight of the "Little Sun City".
Source: New Evening News
Call on everyone to go to Harbin to soak up the spring sunshine
If the city has a personality, then this marketing method is like a long-legged big brother of 185, with a rainbow headband on his head, inviting you to go out for spring, full of contrasts and cuteness
In addition to cities like Zibo, Harbin, and Tianshui
In the past 30 days, entries related to Anji on social media have also been frequently listed
One piece of data that subverts my imagination is
In Anji County, which has a permanent population of less than 600,000, there are more than 300 coffee shops, and the per capita density of cafes even exceeds that of Shanghai
But the niche attractions have become more than niche, and there are too many people in this café
Source: Xiaohongshu author @一二三四饼
In counties with more beautiful natural scenery, playing music festivals, drinking coffee, camping, and hiking will expand the "20-minute effect in the park" infinitely, and it has become more and more a consensus
Source: Weelville Design Museum
Choosing a place with a good scenery to lie flat has become a new popular way of life that many tourists are practicing
In essence, travelers who go to the county are looking for a new way to play that is closer to nature and closer to themselves
04
Why this year's May Day tourism will present a new trend of "going to the mountains and going to the countryside".
Objectively, it must have something to do with money
The economic base determines the superstructure, and the relationship between supply and demand affects the market structure
Conventional tourist cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Sanya, whether it is the cost of travel or accommodation, are really too high
The accommodation fee for one night is as high as 6406-11856 yuan (at this price, it is embarrassing to say that it is a "spring special")
The price is not too high, the key is that it can't be grabbed, and all room types are fully booked
Source: Screenshot of Meituan
In addition to these objective reasons, in fact, the subjective influence is greater
In the May Day plan of many netizens, even if you travel these days, you must "sleep until you wake up naturally", "climb the mountain, look at the starry sky", "the most important thing is to have a comfortable time"
The sense of relaxation has become the main appeal of everyone during this year's May Day holiday
On the one hand, it seems that this year's May Day seems to have a five-day holiday, but in fact, excluding the compensatory holidays and weekends, the number of days off is only 1 day
On the other hand, in the statistics of the total working hours of the people, our Chinese leadership in the hierarchy of judges, with an average annual working hours of 2,548 hours
Probably because the body is too tired, the migrant workers don't want to be so busy on holidays
In this case, a short escape has become the May Day pursuit of countless workers, and the fireworks in the small county town are even more ironing for the soul
Source: Xiaohongshu author @如花小幺
The right temperature and graceful spring scenery are more suitable for embracing mountains, rivers, lakes and seas
Compared with going to crowded popular attractions, many tourists are more interested in niche and unique travel experiences, so the trend of traveling in small counties has emerged
There are also many netizens who say that it is very comfortable to clean up at home, clean the room, sleep until you wake up naturally, and watch a movie
Source: Global Times, April 28, 2024, page 5
This year's May Day is also very powerful, with a total of 9 films to meet the audience in a centralized manner, with many choices
05
Whether it's a big dive in airfares, a general increase in hotel prices, or a niche tourist destination that is off the beaten path
are pointing to a new trend, that is, young people are not willing to pay for high prices
Beautiful scenery, fireworks, cost-effective, tranquil and close to nature tourism experience is more favored by the public
Because of the change of travel concept, the county's tourism market has also been activated, the economic cycle has been driven, and tourists and the county have gone to each other
In this way, the new type of "going to the mountains and going to the countryside" drama is also staged in the May Day tourist season
What are everyone's plans for this year's May Day outing?