Against the backdrop of domestic demand activation, consumption upgrading, and continuously rising national income, China's tourism industry is entering a golden period of development. With the 2015 National Day Golden Week approaching, the choice of travel destinations is undoubtedly the top concern for tourists. Surveys show that the top 10 domestic tourist cities during last year’s National Day were: Sanya, Beijing, Qingdao, Chengdu, Shanghai, Chongqing, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Dalian. Based on relevant data analysis, it is expected that this year’s National Day will see the addition of three new popular domestic cities: Xi'an, Jinan, and Xiamen. The data also indicates that family travel accounts for over 60%, with demand on the rise.
Xi'an, Jinan, and Xiamen Expected to Be Among Hot National Day Cities in 2015
Since the beginning of this year, the government has continuously proposed and introduced favorable tourism policies, aiming to develop tourism into a strategic pillar industry of the national economy. Data analysts from Tujia.com, a leading domestic vacation rental booking platform, explained that according to data analysis of booking destinations on Tujia.com, the top 10 domestic cities in terms of accommodation bookings from September 1 to September 15, 2015, became: Sanya, Chengdu, Jinan, Beijing, Qingdao, Xi'an, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Xiamen — with Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Dalian no longer on the list. “Based on current trends, it is expected that Xi'an, Jinan, and Xiamen will join the ranks of popular National Day cities this year,” predicted the Tujia.com data analyst.
Family Travel Accounts for Over 60% as Main Travel Group, Boosting Non-Standard Accommodation
It is reported that the current traveler demographic is mainly divided into family travel, couples’ vacations, business trips, friends’ gatherings, and retirement leisure. Among them, full-year 2014 data shows that family travel accounts for over 60%, ranking first, with couples’ travel demand coming in second. Both of these main travel groups have raised new demands for travel accommodations — namely, privacy.
Mr. Wang, a resident of Nanjing, said that family travel requires a higher level of privacy, which traditional hotels can no longer adequately meet. Upon a friend’s recommendation, Mr. Wang booked an RV stay at Tujia’s Dayun RV Campsite in Xiamen for the National Day period. He said, “The novel accommodation style and private independent courtyard will surely leave an unforgettable memory for my child.”
Interior Photo of Tujia Xi'an Datang Boxiang Mansion Suite
From this, it is not difficult to see that the vacation rental and specialty accommodation industry, like a dark horse, has quickly carved out a place in the travel accommodation market. Booking platforms such as Tujia.com, Airbnb, and Xiaozhu Short-Term Rental have become hot topics among travelers when choosing accommodations.
Short-Distance Travel Highly Praised, Expected to See Continued Growth in Nearby Trips
Judging from the number of days tourists book accommodations, the main durations are 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 4–6 days, and more than 7 days. Based on data from the same period last year and this year, 1-day bookings accounted for 53%, and 2-day bookings for 22%; from September 1 to September 15, 2015, 1-day bookings made up 58% and 2-day bookings 21%. “Based on customers’ booking durations, we can see that 1–2 day bookings exceed 70%, with 1-day bookings increasing by 5% compared to the same period, suggesting that short-distance travel makes up the largest proportion and is on an upward trend,” said the Tujia.com data analyst.
In addition, on July 31 of this year, the government issued a policy encouraging “2.5-day mini-vacations on weekends,” which has also indirectly stimulated nearby tourism. Highly praised by tourists, it is not hard to predict that nearby travel will continue to heat up in the foreseeable future.