Reporter Guo Yangchen and Quartz Jing report from Shanghai
(The sinking of domestic cultural tourism is becoming more and more obvious, and the top 10 growth rates of T3 travel call volume during holidays are all third- and fourth-tier cities.) Interviewee/Photo)
As the first "small long holiday" after the Spring Festival, this year's "May Day" holiday has completely ignited the enthusiasm of tourists across the country.
According to T3 travel data, during the "May Day" holiday, the overall call volume of platform users for taxi travel increased by 33.87% year-on-year, maintaining a steady and increasing trend compared with the same period last year; According to the data of Xiangdao Travel, the demand for online car-hailing travel nationwide increased by 43.03% year-on-year, and May 1 and May 3 were the peak holiday trips.
"Compared with previous years, this year's 'May Day' holiday travel also presents new characteristics, and 'off-peak night tour' and 'small town tourism' have become the latest way to open up this holiday travel." In an interview with a reporter from China Business Daily, the relevant person in charge of T3 travel said that in addition to the first and second-tier cities to maintain hot travel demand, third- and fourth-tier cities and even counties are also "blooming", and such sinking cities even occupy the top ten in the growth rate of travel demand.
Small counties "outperform" the metropolis
"The cost of Lishui is relatively small, the scenery of mountains and rivers is no worse than that of first-tier cities, and the flow of people is less than that of big cities, so our family decisively chose to come here for a vacation this 'May Day'." Ms. Wang, a T3 passenger who traveled to Lishui, Zhejiang, said.
The reporter noticed that unlike the "one branch" of big cities in previous years, some small cities with more cost-effective and relaxed feelings during this year's "May Day" holiday have also opened the "crowded" mode and become a new popular check-in place.
"The trend of tourism sinking is more obvious, which is reflected in the year-on-year growth rate of tourism orders, the first and second tier cities are smaller than the third and fourth tier cities, and the third and fourth tier cities are smaller than the county market." The relevant person in charge of Ctrip said that Yangzhou, Luoyang, Qinhuangdao, Weihai, Guilin, Kaifeng, Zibo, Huangshan, Tai'an, Shangrao and other popular third- and fourth-tier destinations, with an average increase of 11% in travel orders on Ctrip's platform; Anji, Tonglu, Dujiangyan, Yangshuo, Maitreya, Yiwu, Wuyuan, Jinghong, Kunshan and Pingtan are popular county tourist destinations, with an average increase of 36% in travel orders.
The popularity of the sinking tourism market is also reflected in the growth of travel demand. T3 travel big data also shows that the top 10 lists of the platform's online car-hailing call volume year-on-year growth rate are all third- and fourth-tier cities, namely Bozhou, Lishui, Weihai, Heze, Shaoguan, Longyan, Rizhao, Huai'an, Lu'an, and Huzhou.
The reason for this, Wang Yalei, an industry analyst at Ctrip Research Institute, believes that first, the third- and fourth-tier cities and even counties have a low base and more room for growth; Second, tourists are pursuing more relaxation and cost-effectiveness, which accelerates the sinking trend. Compared with the "crowded" in first- and second-tier cities, the sinking market provides the possibility for tourists to spend their holidays in a relaxed and relaxed manner; Third, the sinking market is more cost-effective, and the average night price of hotels in the county market during the May Day holiday in 2024 is only half of the average price of first- and second-tier popular cities.
"Affected by multiple factors such as the pursuit of cost-effective travel and the avoidance of crowded experience, 'small town tourism' has risen during this year's 'May Day' holiday, and the popularity of travel in third- and fourth-tier cities with mountains or seas such as Lishui and Weihai has continued to rise." The person in charge of T3 travel also sighed.
This is also reflected in Club Med's May Day spending figures. It is reported that from April 30 to May 4, the average occupancy rate of Club Med China resorts is about 90%. According to the domestic booking data of Club Med, family customers are still the main force of travel during the "May Day" holiday, accounting for nearly 60%, followed by friends and single travelers. Vacations with natural beauty and unique cultural experiences are more popular, with Club Med resorts in Guilin and Lijiang averaging near full occupancy from May 1 to 3.
In addition, Anji, Qiandao Lake, Nanjing Xianlin and Taicang resorts near Shanghai, as well as Yanqing resorts in the suburbs of Beijing, are popular among guests in the two places and their surroundings, among which Anji resorts are full for three consecutive days, and Qiandao Lake, Taicang and Nanjing Xianlin resorts are full on May 2. The company said that the current guests are looking for a sense of relaxation during the holiday, a short escape from the busy life, and a moment of tranquility to soothe the soul. Explore the bamboo sea in Anji, experience spring tea picking, and stay in a pet suite to take your pet to the big lawn; Step into the gorgeous resort of Qiandao Lake, walk and ride on the lakeside, and feel the biodiversity of nature; Immerse yourself in the 100-acre flower fields of Beijing Yanqing Resort, watch the vineyards under the sunset, and start the evening with a special cocktail; Go to Taicang Resort and experience the various snow charms in the "Oriental Alps".
It is worth mentioning that since the beginning of this year, nearly 1,000 county-level scenic spots have been added to the Ctrip platform. "Behind the sinking of the tourism market is the diversification of the source and destination of China's tourism market, as well as the structural changes on the supply side and demand side of the tourism market." According to the analysis of Ctrip Research Institute, from the demand side, the mentality of consumers to avoid "conforming to the crowd" is more obvious, and it will become more and more common to go from first- and second-tier central cities to third- and fourth-tier cities and even county seats. From the supply side, the improvement of high-speed rail transportation infrastructure has improved the direct connection between the third and fourth tier and county markets and central cities. At the same time, the tourism supply in the sinking market is also constantly improving.
"Staggered peak night tour" and "research tour" became popular
Throughout the 2024 "May Day" holiday, the "main force" of travel is still young people. Due to the excessive number of people traveling overall, "off-peak night tours" have also become a new fashion.
Because of this, some areas have turned on the "white + black" mode. Ctrip data shows that during the May Day holiday, night travel orders in Taiyuan, Huzhou, Nanchang, Dalian, Shijiazhuang and other places grew at a high rate, and some cities increased by more than 30 times year-on-year.
In addition, according to T3 travel data, during the "May Day" holiday, the proportion of T3 travel users' call volume in the evening (18:00-20:59) and night (21:00-4:59) to the whole day was 25.8% and 27.3% respectively; Evening and nighttime hours account for more than half of the all-day hours, and nighttime travel calls exceed other time periods to occupy the top spot.
Xiangdao travel statistics also show that during this year's "May Day" period, the demand for taxis by users began to be active from 11 o'clock, reaching the peak of the afternoon peak from 13 o'clock to 14 o'clock, and the demand for travel in the evening was more vigorous and reached the peak of the evening peak from 17 o'clock to 18 o'clock.
"The top three cities with the highest proportion of bookings from 9 p.m. to midnight during the holiday are Nanning, Chongqing and Changsha, demonstrating the high enthusiasm of local citizens and tourists for 'nightlife'." The relevant person in charge of Xiangdao Travel told reporters that these cities are famous for their barbecue, hot pot, crayfish and other delicacies, and the "endless flow of people" and "full seats" have become a true portrayal of the night.
"The young group is the core audience group of the evening consumption scene, and the young group has the world of the night economy." The relevant person in charge of T3 travel said that among the people who traveled at night during the "May Day" holiday, young people born between 1995 and 2009 were the mainstay, and the post-95 and post-00 travel calls accounted for more than 71%. As a result, shopping malls, hotels, train stations and other places are also "more and more prosperous at night".
The relevant person in charge of Xiangdao Travel further said that during this year's "May Day" holiday, from the perspective of the distribution of travel hotspots, consumers pay more attention to travel quality and "relaxation". Compared with taking pictures, the "lying flat" tourism of sleeping until you wake up naturally and shopping and eating slowly has become more popular; From the perspective of non-local travel demand, the national demand for non-local travel accounts for 37.71% of the total travel demand, and it can be seen that more people are still keen to change the environment, change the mood, and feel a different kind of holiday time.
At the same time, the reporter learned in the interview that with the steady recovery of the tourism market, the needs of consumers are also evolving, and they are paying more and more attention to the travel experience. Therefore, since this spring, Lijiang Resort has carefully planned a series of new activities, including nature education camps, parent-child stargazing camps and hiking adventures, with the aim of creating a platform for children to learn more about the local natural and cultural landscapes in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. At the same time, parents can also enjoy an unforgettable research trip in the process of accompanying their children. "In the face of the rapid recovery of the outbound travel market, Club Med has successively dispatched nearly 200 Chinese Happy Butlers to overseas resorts to provide more intimate and professional services. In addition, in order to meet the upcoming summer tourism peak, we have also launched the theme promotion activity of "Early Bird Price, More Comfortable Vacation", inviting guests at home and abroad to start a cool mountain and forest vacation and enjoy a leisurely summer vacation time. ”
(Editor: Quartz Jing Review: Tong Haihua Proofreader: Zhai Jun)