Photo: AFP/Xinhua/Meng Delong
Eurasia
29/09/2024 22:42
This represents a significant increase from the 39 per cent estimated to travel long-haul last year, according to the travel booking platform. Lower travel costs are one factor driving the trend, said Zhang Chen, vice-president of online travel platform Fliggy, noting that hotel and flight rates are more favourable compared to last year.
Travellers are also venturing farther this year due to a growing desire to enjoy different scenery and culture, said Janice Meng, market research analyst at business consultancy Dragon Trail International. Hugely popular game Black Myth: Wukong, which was only released a month ago, has also spurred a surge in tourism to the previously lesser-known cliffside temples and grottoes in China’s central Shanxi province, SCMP adds.
According to Trip, when it comes to travel costs, the top outbound destinations (Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, the UK, and the USA) have all seen a significant drop in average air ticket prices (including taxes). Travellers increasingly seek high-quality, mid-tier accommodation types. However, in Europe, year-on-year growth of 5-star hotel bookings was almost three times higher than in Asia-Pacific.
With overtourism as one of the challenges for key destinations around the world, Chinese travellers have increasingly been drawn to quieter, off-the-beaten-path locations this Golden Week. This is so particularly in the Asia-Pacific and Europe regions.
