Source: Traveler

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day's 8-day holiday can be said to be “more popular, not cold.”

According to data center estimates from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, during the eight-day holiday, the number of domestic travelers was 826 million, an increase of 71.3% over the previous year in comparable terms; domestic tourism revenue was 753.43 billion yuan, an increase of 129.5% over the previous year according to comparable standards.

Calculated by dividing total income by the total number of people, during the holiday period, each person spent an average of 912 yuan. According to official statistics from various cities, in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, visitors all spent 1310.6 yuan, 1372.9 yuan, and 744.7 yuan.

“Consumers are becoming more rational.” Xiao Peng, a researcher at the Where to Go Big Data Research Institute, said that consumers need to be cheap, they also need quality, and good service; they can play and spend, but they have to shop around, and they definitely don't pay IQ tax. These people who regard travel as an immediate need will be the main force in future travel.

At the same time, during the “11th” holiday this year, there was a rare phenomenon of diving in ticket prices. Relatively speaking, the high-speed rail and self-driving markets were even more popular.

Zou Jianjun, a professor at the China Civil Aviation Management Cadre College and external director of Shenzhen Airport Group, analyzed that whether it is outbound travel or domestic travel, economy and safety have become essential characteristics of consumer behavior. The result after measuring “economy” must be that “high-speed rail” long-distance travel, railways, or self-driving surroundings dominate.

The average travel cost per person is 912.1 yuan

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival 8-day National Day holiday is even more lively than before. According to data center estimates from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, there were 826 million domestic travelers, an increase of 71.3% year-on-year and 4.1% over 2019 in comparable terms.

During Golden Week this year, Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Changsha, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Wuhan became the most popular tourist destinations, according to data on trips and places to go.

Judging from consumption data, the average travel expenses of travelers were 912.1 yuan.

On October 6, the Culture and Tourism Administration announced that domestic holiday tourism revenue was 753.43 billion yuan. Based on the aforementioned calculation of 826 million travelers, the average cost per trip was 912.1 yuan. If the average was an 8-day vacation, each person spent only 114 yuan per day.

Looking at specific cities, in Beijing, every tourist spends 1310.6 yuan. According to data from the Beijing Administration of Culture and Tourism, Beijing received a total of 11.879 million visitors during the holiday period, up 48.9% year on year and 12.9% year on year in comparable terms; total tourism revenue was 15.57 billion yuan, up 108.2% year on year, and 21.9% over 2019.

In Shanghai, the average cost of visitors is slightly higher than in Beijing. Official statistics show that the average cost of visitors in Shanghai is 1372.9 yuan. According to Shanghai tourism big data monitoring, Shanghai received a total of 21.2967 million visitors. The total amount of travel consumption transactions in the Shanghai region, including food, lodging, travel, travel, shopping, and entertainment, was 29.238 billion yuan, an increase of 29.70% over the previous year.

In Guangzhou, visitors spend 744.7 yuan per person in Sui. According to preliminary estimates by the Guangzhou Administration of Culture and Tourism, Guangzhou received nearly 17.59 million visitors, an increase of more than 105% over 2022. Total cultural tourism consumption exceeded 13.1 billion yuan, an increase of 112% over 2022.

912 yuan per person, what can you do? A short trip is an option. Many travelers haven't spent 8 days; going to more cost-effective third- and fourth-tier cities and towns is also an economical choice.

During the National Day, Ms. Ma, a resident of Beijing, spent only two days and one night. On October 3, she took a train from Beijing to Shijiazhuang, and went to the ancient city of Zhengding, Longxing Temple, and the Hebei Museum. Tickets for attractions cost 50 yuan, a homestay at night, and a return trip the next day. She said that the trip only cost more than 500 yuan.

On the other hand, travelers from third- and fourth-tier cities were more active during Golden Week this year.

Data on where to go shows that during the holiday season, the number of visitors to third- and fourth-tier cities increased by nearly 70% compared to before the pandemic. They prefer shopping and eating in the city during the day, visiting scenic spots at night at night, and staying in comfortable hotels along subway lines and avoiding scenic spots.

Consumers are becoming more rational. According to the Where to Go data, this year, the average number of searches users made before booking a hotel was 15, an average increase of 7 times over 2019. High-star hotels, which have a moderate increase and a more prominent cost performance advantage, have become a new choice for users after repeated price comparisons.

“Consumers need to be cheap, they also need quality, and good service; they can play and spend, but they have to shop around, and they definitely don't pay IQ tax. These people who see travel as “just what they need” will be the main force in future travel. Only when businesses in the tourism industry provide lower prices and better services can the industry be sustainable.” Xiao Peng said.

However, compared to 2022 and 2019 National Day, people who traveled this year spent more money.

During the 7-day National Day holiday in 2022, there were 422 million domestic travelers nationwide, achieving domestic tourism revenue of 287.21 billion yuan, and spending only 680.5 yuan per person.

During the 2019 National Day, the country received a total of 782 million domestic visitors, achieving domestic tourism revenue of 649.71 billion yuan, equivalent to a per capita expenditure of 831 yuan.

Air ticket prices rarely dive, and high-speed rail self-driving becomes the main force

Airline tickets, which usually rise violently on holidays, were unpopular at the beginning of the National Day holiday this year. The price reduction was quite large, and “ticket price diving” was also trending on the National Day.

Some netizens said that they bought a ticket back and forth from Chongqing to Yinchuan in advance on September 18. When they looked up tickets for this flight again on the first day of the September 29 holiday, they found that the price had dropped 700 yuan compared to when they were purchased; at this time, the refund fee was 645 yuan.

Many third-party platforms experienced a drop in popular routes during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, and prices for many flight segments dropped by 50% or even 80%. Meanwhile, there are still quite a few vacancies on the flight from Xi'an to Shanghai on September 28.

“As you get closer to travel, ticket prices for some routes have dropped, and they are cheaper than those bought in advance. This phenomenon is not particularly common.” Civil aviation expert Lin Zhijie said that the main reason for this is that market popularity has not met airline expectations.

According to data from the Civil Aviation Administration, during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, civil aviation across the country carried a total of 1,7082 million passengers, an average of 2.135,000 passengers per day; the country actually flew 134,321 flights, with an average of 16,790 guaranteed flights per day.

At the same time as ticket prices are “diving,” the high-speed rail and self-driving markets are extremely popular.

According to statistics from China Railway Group, from the start of holiday transportation on September 27 to October 6, railways across the country have sent a total of 169 million passengers, an average of 16.862 million passengers per day. Short-distance passenger traffic accounts for 61%, and medium- to long-distance passenger flow accounts for 39%. Of these, 2.098 million visitors were sent on September 29, a record high in the number of visitors sent in a single day.

Previously, 12306 was “squeezed out” on the first day of holiday invoicing, indicating “the system is busy.” This year, China Railway Group released special alternate data. Among them, the 12306 Alternate Railway Ticket Purchase successfully cashed out 1.01 million orders and 13.53 million tickets, providing convenience for travelers.

In terms of highways, they are still “stuck in the road” this year. According to CCTV news reports, during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, the total traffic volume of highways across the country reached 487 million, and the highway network traffic showed a “high peak value, high average value” trend.

Sichuan is a popular destination. According to Flying Pig data, Sichuan has become the domestic destination with the highest scale of travel contracts on the platform, and the Jiuzhaigou and West Sichuan routes, which are popular attractions, are basically difficult to find a room.

Li Yong, general manager of Chengdu Dajiao International Travel Service, said that the popularity of tourism in Sichuan this fall is the result of a combination of factors. On the one hand, Sichuan's rich cuisine, comfortable lifestyle, and trendy urban style are loved by today's young people. On the other hand, the opening of the new Sanxingdui Pavilion and the Chengdu Universiade also brought popularity to Sichuan tourism.

In the Zhejiang region, due to the combined demand for travel, family visits, and race watching, the average daily traffic of expressways exceeds 3.4 million; the “five provinces and one city” expressway between Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Min also has an average daily traffic of 1.03 million vehicles, accounting for about 21.4% of the country's total traffic.

Zou Jianjun analyzed that economy is an important factor for travelers to consider when traveling. Although “relax and unwind” and “change the environment” are still the first choices for holiday travel, the result after measuring “economy” must be that “high-speed rail” long-distance travel, railways, or self-driving surroundings dominate.

Han Xuechao, deputy general manager of Beijing Zhiyuan International Travel Service, felt the same. He said bluntly that the travel business is not what it used to be; they are all “expert consumers” who “can tell what is good and what is bad.”

editor/tolk