At a recent liaison officers' meeting of the 2013 Spring Festival Holiday Tourism Inter-Ministerial Coordination Conference, the National Holiday Office predicted that the number of travelers during the 2013 Spring Festival Golden Week will exceed 200 million for the first time, reaching 211 million, a year-on-year increase of 20%.
According to People's Daily, prediction data released today by the China Tourism Academy also show that the overall market environment during this year’s Spring Festival period is positive, with residents’ willingness to travel reaching as high as 76.8%, significantly higher than the 36.5% recorded during the same period last year. The number of travelers is expected to reach 211 million, a year-on-year increase of 20%; tourism revenue is projected to hit 126.7 billion yuan, up approximately 25% year-on-year. The China Tourism Academy holds an “optimistic” outlook for the 2013 Spring Festival Golden Week tourism market. Both the number of travelers, total consumption, accommodation scale, and the quality of tourism services are expected to reach record highs.
Based on leading indicators such as traveler bookings, domestic travel during the Spring Festival is mainly inter-provincial, with destinations still heavily concentrated in traditional hot spots like Beijing, Shanghai, and Sanya. The high willingness to travel—up to 20%—indicates that outbound tourism will continue to grow during the Spring Festival period. Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and the United States remain top choices for outbound destinations, while island getaways such as the Maldives, Bali, and Phuket have become common options in more mature markets. Independent travel, self-guided tours, and road trips will be the main modes of travel. Among those surveyed who plan to travel during the Spring Festival, 37.2% have chosen self-driving tours.