2011 Q4 Travel Trends: Classic Cultural Tourism and High-Speed Rail Travel Gain Popularity

       The "China Citizens' Travel Attention Report" for the fourth quarter of 2011, jointly released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Letu Travel Network on the 12th, shows that in the final quarter of 2011, traditional and classic tourist destinations continued to maintain strong popularity, while warmer-climate destinations highlighted the advantages of seasonal differences. Among domestic travel destinations, Beijing and Sanya ranked first and second respectively, with Xi'an rising to third place thanks to the hosting of the International Horticultural Exposition. Shanghai and Guilin came in fourth and fifth. In terms of domestic scenic spots, Jiuzhaigou, Lijiang Ancient Town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tianya Haijiao, and Gulangyu Island were the top five. Among overseas travel destinations, related to the shopping season during Christmas and New Year, Hong Kong continued to rank first, with France, Thailand, Australia, and the Maldives receiving significant attention—this also aligns with the trend of choosing travel destinations with off-season climates. The inherent fame of overseas scenic spots plays an important role, but the cultural characteristics of the destinations have garnered even more attention. In addition to traditional classic scenic areas, culturally rich sites such as Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, France’s Barbizon, and Turkey’s Blue Mosque also made the list.

       Based on netizens’ evaluations across ten aspects—sightseeing, transportation, travel agency services, travel routes, accommodation and dining, leisure shopping, hygiene and safety, the condition of tourism professionals, travel advisory services, and fame—the top five scenic spots with the highest overall ratings this quarter are Tiananmen Square, Shaolin Temple, Gulangyu Island, Huangshan Mountain, and Jiuzhaigou.

       A special survey on the attention toward travel agencies showed that 85.8% of respondents had participated in group tours organized by travel agencies, with nearly 30% of travelers frequently using travel agencies for their trips. Among travelers’ evaluations, the four major players—China Youth Travel Service, China Travel Service Head Office, China Comfort Travel Group, and China International Travel Service—showed clear leading advantages.

       In the dissemination and acquisition of travel information, numerous comprehensive travel websites have become important channels for travelers to choose and share travel information. The most common activity on travel websites is searching for information, while using online platforms for communication and booking various travel products and services is also becoming increasingly common.

       After three consecutive quarters of surveys on travel preferences between high-speed rail and airplanes, it is evident that the desire to choose high-speed rail for travel continues to rise. In the first two quarters, 6% and 25% of respondents respectively chose high-speed rail for longer journeys, and this quarter that proportion increased by 7%, reaching 32%. This result indicates that although high-speed rail still faces various operational challenges in its early stages, it has undeniably become one of the important choices for citizens’ travel. The battle between high-speed rail and air travel will continue.

       Drawing on the opinions of domestic professional travel media professionals, this quarter’s attention report also forecasts domestic and international travel trends for winter and spring.

       Below is the full text of the "China Citizens' Travel Attention Report" for the fourth quarter of 2011:

       China Citizens' Travel Attention Report

       Fourth Quarter of 2011
       I. Rankings of City and Scenic Spot Attention

       Top 20 Most Attended Domestic Travel Cities

       Beijing, Sanya, Xi'an, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guilin, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Kunming, Lijiang, Chongqing, Huangshan, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Lhasa, Beihai, Suzhou, Qingdao, Dali, Harbin

 

       In the survey on the cost-performance ratio of travel agencies, 28% of people chose China Youth Travel Service, followed by China Travel Service Head Office and China Comfort Travel Group.

       The top fifteen travel agencies in the cost-performance ranking are:

 

 

       Special Thanks:
       Media professionals who provided expert insights for the winter-spring trends section, including (in no particular order):
       Liu Simin, Editor-in-Chief of China Tourism News
       Su Yuan, Reporter of Reference News
       Wang Sisi, Reporter of Legal Evening News
       Peng Yang, Reporter of Jinghua Times
   
       Yuan Farong, Head of the News Department at Xi’an Business Daily
       Xin Jianyi, Editor-in-Chief of News Evening Post
       Le Yan, Reporter at First Financial Daily
       Qiao Xianwei, Reporter at Qilu Evening News
       Ji Jie, Editor-in-Chief of Shanghai Business Daily
       Deng Jianyun, Editor at Shenjiang Service Guide
       Wu Xiaoli, Editor at Global Travel News
       Zhang Hongmei, reporter for Green Times
       Gong Ting, deputy editor-in-chief of China National Travel Magazine
       Liu Hua, editorial director of The World Magazine
       Zhao Xin, editor of Gamer Travel Magazine
       Lu Haiyun, reporter for Experts Magazine
       Zhang Qi, senior editor of Travel Agencies Magazine
       Chen Yilan, editor of Business Travel Magazine
       Zi Tong, host of China Voice on China National Radio
       Liu Zeng, editor-in-chief of Letu Travel Network, and others
       We would like to extend our special thanks to them.