Recently, Yidao, China’s leading premium car brand, together with Mafengwo, China’s premier free independent travel (FIT) service platform, released the “2017 New Year's Day Travel Big Data Forecast Report.” It shows that national travel demand during New Year's Day will rise by 79.2%, with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen all seeing increases of over 87%. Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou are the most popular cities, while Sanya Yalong Bay, Xiamen Gulangyu Island, Anhui Huangshan, and Harbin Ice and Snow World are the hottest attractions.
Predicted heat map of New Year's Day travel supply and demand in China
Yidao, China’s leading premium car brand, together with Mafengwo, China’s premier free independent travel (FIT) service platform, has just released the “2017 New Year's Day Travel Big Data Forecast Report.” The report shows that national travel demand during New Year's Day will surge by 79.2%, with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen all exceeding 87%.
Meanwhile, during the New Year's Day period, the number of travelers at airports and train stations nationwide will increase significantly, with multiple peak travel periods expected on the evening of December 30, the morning of December 31, and the afternoon of January 2. Among them, nationwide airport travel will rise by about 170%, and railway travel will rise by about 51%.
Top 10 hottest cities for urban travel during New Year's Day
Predictions from Yidao’s Big Data Center show that the hottest“TOP 10 cities”for New Year's Day travel are: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Harbin, Hangzhou, Changchun, Guiyang, Zhengzhou, and Taiyuan—all first-tier or provincial capital cities. The top-ranked first-tier cities show a significant surge in travel demand: Shanghai will see the highest increase of 103.7%, Beijing 96.8%, Guangzhou 87.5%, and Shenzhen 92.1%.
Mafengwo’s big data also shows that the average per-person spending for FIT travelers going to Beijing is 3,669 yuan, 3,464 yuan for Shanghai, 3,206 yuan for Guangzhou, and just 2,204 yuan for Shenzhen.
Yalong Bay, Gulangyu Island, and others to become hot spots during New Year's Day travel
Predictions from Yidao’s Big Data Center show that the hottest“TOP 10 attractions”during New Year's Day travel are expected to be: Sanya Yalong Bay in Hainan, Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, Fujian, Huangshan in Anhui, Harbin Ice and Snow World, the Terracotta Army in Xi’an, Shaanxi, Heaven Lake of Changbai Mountain in Jilin, Penglai Pavilion in Shandong, Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan, and Lijiang Ancient Town and Erhai-Cangshan in Yunnan.
According to Mafengwo’s big data analysis, free independent travelers’ impressions of Yalong Bay—the hottest attraction—mainly include “cleaner than Dadonghai,” “very fine sand,” and “blue sea.” Gulangyu Island, ranked second, leaves travelers with impressions of “unique shops,” “a boutique vibe,” and being “suitable for couples.” Winter is also the best season for “ice and snow tourism,” and Ice and Snow World, ranked fourth, is mainly remembered for its “ice and snow sculptures,” “fairytale world,” and being “spectacular.”
Kunming Changshui Airport may be the most congested for airport travel on New Year's Day
The report shows that the demand for premium car services at airports nationwide during New Year's Day will rise by 170%. Among them, the hottest“TOP airports”will all see travel demand increases of over 200%, with Kunming Changshui Airport surging by as much as 414%.
The surge in traveler numbers at many airports nationwide will also put pressure on airport expressway traffic, resulting in congestion during peak hours at multiple locations. Analysis predicts that compared to normal days, users in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen will spend an average of 25–35 more minutes getting to the airport during the evening rush hour on December 30.
Taking Beijing Capital Airport as an example, starting from 2 PM on December 30, speeds on the airport expressway began to continuously decline, reaching a lowest speed of 22 km/h at 6 PM. Travel time to the airport will increase by 51% (the average vehicle speed for airport drop-offs in Beijing on normal days is 45 km/h).
The top 5 travel routes to the hottest airports during New Year's Day“TOP 5 routes”are: Beijing – Sanya, Beijing – Shenzhen, Shanghai – Chengdu, Guangzhou – Harbin, and Xi’an – Kunming.
In addition, the demand for CIP VIP security channels at airports nationwide during New Year's Day will rise by 46.4%. Analysis predicts that during New Year's Day peak times, CIP channels will save travelers an average of 20–35 minutes compared to regular security lanes.
Top three hottest cities for train travel during New Year's Day: Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou
The report shows that this year, the demand for dedicated car services at train stations during New Year's Day is expected to rise by about 51%, with the most popular“TOP 10 cities”being, in order: Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Harbin, and Chongqing.
In addition, the demand for sending passengers at train stations will peak at 6 PM on December 30 and 10 AM on December 31, while the return period on January 2 will see the highest peak at 3 PM for drop-off services.
For train pick-up services, the demand for dedicated cars will hit three peaks at 10 PM on December 30,、11 AM and 5 PM on December 31, and another peak at 8 PM on January 2, marking the final high-demand period for pick-up services during the New Year's holiday.
Overall, as more people choose to travel during the short New Year’s break, traditional public transportation can no longer meet the diverse travel needs of the public. Internet-based dedicated car services, which offer both comfort and convenience, can cater to travel demands across various times and scenarios, thus becoming increasingly popular among travelers.