Although the peak summer travel season is not yet over, the fierce battle for 1-yuan tickets shows no signs of abating, and the earliest Mid-Autumn Festival in nearly 38 years has left the tourism industry feeling somewhat disheartened. Some in the traditional tourism sector have already begun to worry whether more people this year will choose to stay at home rather than travel. However, none of these factors have affected online travel e-commerce platforms' plans for a price war during the "Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day" holidays.
However, unlike previous years, this year some OTA companies are extending the concept of the price war — shifting from simply competing on tour package prices to competing on who can offer travelers a higher value-for-money vacation experience.
The online travel service provider "Zailushang," which launched its "Taozailushang" app just last April, has stirred up a summer online travel price war. Now, its strategy for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day price war is also undergoing subtle changes.
"This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival comes early, and there’s a longer gap between the two holidays, so for this round of price cuts, on top of offering 50% off on all products, we’re focusing on promoting travel packages to nearby regions, such as free independent travel (FIT) deals to Hong Kong," said Pu Minghui.
Official information released earlier by Zailushang showed that its "Taozailushang" app will hold a promotion from August 23 to September 3, selling travel and vacation products that include travel dates for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays at starting prices of 50% off. Additionally, starting at 10:00 AM on August 28, there will be a special sale event themed "Next Stop, Hong Kong — Depart for Just 999 Yuan," featuring Hong Kong destination travel products, along with the launch of exclusive cross-industry products. It is reported that this is the young OTA’s first attempt at cross-industry collaboration during the price war period.
In addition, Pu Minghui revealed that the second half of the year is also the best time to shop in Hong Kong. Moreover, for young, arts-loving users, there will be a dense schedule of major performances during these months. As the official sponsor of Jay Chou’s Hong Kong concert in 2014, during the Hong Kong special sale period, Zailushang will offer Jay Chou Hong Kong tour FIT packages at various price points starting from over 2,000 yuan. Taking the special sale package priced at 2,250 yuan as an example, it includes flights from Shanghai on concert dates, accommodation at a four-star hotel, and tickets to the Jay Chou concert priced at 380 Hong Kong dollars.
It is understood that cross-industry product special sales among online travel companies are still relatively rare in the current market. In response, Pu Minghui commented, "The 'Taozailushang' app hopes to send a message to its users through the introduction of more cross-industry products suitable for young couples and families — that Taozailushang is not just an OTA, but more importantly, it aims to become a travel lifestyle platform for youth and families."
"Not only Jay Chou’s concerts, we will also launch more cross-industry travel products on the 'Taozailushang' app in the second half of the year, such as the Phantom of the Opera Hong Kong FIT package," said Pu Minghui.