SHENZHEN, China, 8 February 2024: DidaTravel, a tech-driven global travel distribution company, released data on Wednesday reflecting the growing trend for Chinese outbound travel during the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays.
In 2024, the Lunar New Year eight-day holiday starts on Saturday, 10 February and ends on Saturday, 17 February.
Based on Dida’s booking data for the Chinese New Year season, total outbound hotel bookings reached a three-year high, with an increase of over 310% compared to 2023.
Outbound hotel bookings by Chinese travellers in Singapore increased by 11-fold YoY, while hotel bookings in Malaysia grew by 9-fold and in Thailand by an impressive 243%.
These dramatic increases can be attributed to pent-up demand following the lifting of border restrictions in mainland China and recent visa exemption announcements.
During the Chinese New Year holiday season, the top destinations for mainland Chinese travellers going overseas are Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Australia, the Philippines, Spain, and the US.
In addition, long-haul destinations in Europe, such as France, Italy, UK, and Germany, and in the Americas, Mexico, Brazil, and Canada remain popular with Chinese travellers.
During this holiday, hotel ADR (average daily rate) witnessed a global increase of 32% YoY. This increase is partly attributable to pent-up demand for booking accommodation in higher-standard hotels. Notably, there was a decrease in bookings for one and two-star hotels, dropping from 7% to 2.6%. Additionally, bookings for three to four-star hotels declined from 69.7% to 65.2%. Conversely, there was a notable increase in bookings for five-star hotels, rising from 23.3% to 32.2%. This aligned with the trend for Chinese travellers to select luxury accommodation.
Chinese travellers’ average length of hotel stays increased from 2.8 to 3 days. Malaysia experienced an increase from 2 to 2.5 days, Thailand from 2.5 to 3.1 days, Singapore from 3 to 3.5 days, and the Philippines saw the most significant increase from 2.3 to 4.6 days.
DidaTravel, founder & CEO Rikin Wu said: “We are thrilled to witness the enthusiasm of Chinese travellers to explore international destinations and new experiences, even during this traditional holiday.
“At DidaTravel, we are committed to meeting the dynamic needs of Chinese travellers by providing a diverse range of hotel products worldwide. We believe that this tourism boom not only fuels economic recovery but also boosts public confidence in the power of travel to create unforgettable moments and forge meaningful connections.”
DidaTravel has a portfolio of over 70,000 competitively sourced direct hotel contracts and 1 million hotel products from over 600 global suppliers. Its customer base comprises over 30,000 B2B buyers — including travel agencies, tour operators, OTAs, TMCs and MICE.
About DidaTravel
DidaTravel is a tech-driven global travel distribution company founded in 2012. The company is headquartered in Shenzhen, China, with over 500 employees in 13 offices worldwide.
