SHANGHAI,27 June 2023: Hong Kong, Bangkok, Macau, Tokyo and Singapore were the most popular destinations for Chinese travellers booking overseas trips during last week’s three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, 22 to 24 June, according to a Ctrip report.
Owned by leading travel service provider Trip.com Group, Ctrip released their Chinese mainland outbound and domestic Dragon Boat Festival travel trends Monday, with outbound bookings for the three-day festival increasing more than 12 times year-over-year.
Global Times estimated overall outbound travel during the festival week increased by 32.3% generating 12.8% more trips than recorded pre-Covid. Notably, the average cost of outbound travel reduced for a one-way air ticket by 6%, compared to the May Day holiday. The primary groups engaged in outbound travel from Mainland China were individuals born in the post-80s (37%) and post-90s (36%) generations who preferred leisurely holidays.
Hong Kong, Bangkok, Macau, Tokyo and Singapore were the most popular destinations, with post-80s and post-90s spending an average of RMB2,981 (USD415) per hotel booking.
Hong Kong was the most popular option for Chinese Mainland travellers, with hotel bookings from the Chinese Mainland to Hong Kong increasing more than 18 times year-over-year. Many travellers chose to take the high-speed rail to Hong Kong, with orders for high-speed rail on Ctrip’s platform rising by more than 60% compared to last month.
Most millennials opted for destinations based on proximity, visa and flight convenience, with many selecting routes within a three-hour flight time. Shanghai-Osaka, Shanghai- Jeju Island, Beijing-Seoul, and Beijing-Tokyo were among the most popular outbound routes.
The Dragon Boat Festival is a brief national holiday in the Chinese mainland, prompting many individuals to travel less domestically.
Nearby, cross-provincial routes were the mainstay for travellers on vacation, selecting a radius of 300 kilometres or less. The Top 10 popular domestic city destinations were Hangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan, Qinhuangdao and Shenzhen.
The price of domestic hotels per night decreased compared to the May Day holiday. Xi’an, famously known for the Terracotta warriors, saw hotel prices fall by 29%, compared to May, with Nanjing and Guangzhou hotel prices down 22% and 19%, respectively.
Ctrip’s latest data show bookings are growing for summer vacations, with search data rising 50% over 2022.
Families are eager to explore and make memories together this summer. As of 14 June, Ctrip has seen a surge in bookings for parent-child tours, making up over 30% of all summer bookings and more than seven times compared to last year.
With growing supply capacity, it is clear that Chinese travellers have newfound confidence, with many families welcoming in trips this summer season and a positive indication of travel recovery.
About Trip.com Group
Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, Qunar and TrainPal. The group was founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 202. Find out more about Trip.com Group here: group.trip.com.
