The trend of domestic tourism consumption rebounding significantly in 2023. The China Tourism Research Institute predicts that the total number of tourists in China will reach 5.5 billion in 2023, and the domestic tourism revenue will reach 5 trillion yuan, recovering to 90% and 80% of the same period in 2019, respectively. What is the tourism consumption situation in 2024? What are the new trends in the tourism industry? The reporter interviewed Qi Chunguang, Vice President of Tuniu Tourism Network.
Reporter: How is the overall development of the tourism industry in 2023 and what are the trends?
Qi Chunguang: This year marks the first year of the recovery of the tourism industry after the optimization and adjustment of epidemic prevention and control policies. Since the beginning of this year, the demand for tourists to travel has continued to rise, and the tourism industry has entered a stage of rapid recovery. Overall, the development of the tourism industry this year has shown three major trends: first, the pace of domestic tourism consumption recovery is accelerating; second, per capita tourism expenditure is steadily recovering; and third, inbound and outbound tourism is steadily recovering.
Reporter: In recent years, ice and snow tourism has received increasing attention from consumers. Can you introduce the winter ice and snow tourism situation this year?
Qi Chunguang: This year, the enthusiasm of domestic consumers for ice and snow tourism continues to rise. It is expected that the number of tourists and per capita consumption will experience explosive growth during the 2023-2024 snow season. There are two reasons for the high popularity of ice and snow tourism this year: firstly, due to the influence of the Winter Olympics, consumers have a high enthusiasm for ice and snow sports and ice and snow tourism. Secondly, the suppressed demand for ice and snow tourism during the epidemic has been concentrated and released.
In terms of domestic tourism, the ice and snow tourism routes during the New Year's Day and Spring Festival are currently experiencing a peak in bookings. Tourist routes to destinations such as Harbin, Changbai Mountain, Yabuli, and Mohe are basically sold out, and bookings for routes to Xinjiang are also rapidly increasing. In addition, the booking volume of Chongli Ski Resort and accommodation is also rapidly increasing. In terms of international travel, Nordic ice and snow tours, aurora tours, Hokkaido in Japan and other tourist routes are also popular for bookings.
It is worth noting that there are two trends in ice and snow tourism; Firstly, since the Beijing Winter Olympics, there has been a clear trend of younger and younger users of ice and snow games. According to Tuniu statistics, the post-90s and post-00s have become the main consumers of ice and snow tourism products, with booking orders accounting for over 60%. Secondly, the weight of southern provinces in the ice and snow tourism market is gradually increasing, which is expected to become a new growth point for ice and snow tourism consumption. At present, southern users have become the main consumer of ice and snow games, with reservation orders accounting for nearly 70%. Skiing and snow appreciation in the southwest direction, indoor skiing, ice and snow parks, hot spring wellness and other ice and snow tourism products in the east and south directions have all shown higher booking enthusiasm.
Reporter: What is your prediction for the development of the tourism industry in 2024? What new trends will emerge?
Qi Chunguang: With the steady recovery of the domestic economy, the gradual recovery of international flights, and the relaxation of visa policies, we expect the scale of domestic tourism consumption to continue to grow in 2024, and the scale of outbound tourism is expected to comprehensively increase. In fact, based on the current booking situation, the 2024 Spring Festival tourism is expected to usher in a new peak. During the Spring Festival of 2024, popular tourist products from Nordic and other routes were sold out in Tuniu half a month ago; The tourism reception resources in some areas of Northeast China are approaching saturation, and this level of popularity is unprecedented. In the past, related tourism products were only sold out three weeks before the Spring Festival. In addition, popular tourist destinations such as Sanya and Hokkaido in Japan have seen skyrocketing airfare and hotel prices during the Spring Festival, with prices significantly higher than in previous years. This shows the popularity of this year's Spring Festival tourism.
There are several trends in domestic tourism in 2024: firstly, cultural tourism continues to be sought after, and the integration of culture and tourism is becoming closer. This year, we have seen a phenomenon where it is difficult to book museums across the country during the summer vacation. Museums are almost fully booked every day, indicating that tourism activities with cultural resources as the main content are increasingly attracting the attention and love of tourists. In 2024, themes such as cultural heritage, museums, science museums, and red tourism will continue to receive widespread attention. Secondly, rural tourism is accelerating its development. More and more consumers are willing to experience the simple life in rural areas. The pursuit of rural scenery and rural culture by consumers has driven the development of rural tourism. Thirdly, "reverse tourism" continues to develop, and niche destinations become "dark horses". The accommodation and airfare prices in popular summer destinations this year are very high, and some consumers choose to vacation to unpopular destinations. Reverse tourism reflects the continuous maturity of consumer concepts. In response to the consumption trend of "reverse tourism", Tuniu will also develop some "small and beautiful" tourism routes in the future.
Reporter: What are the key areas and directions of Tuniu's business from this year to next year?
Qi Chunguang: With the stable growth of domestic tourism consumption and the gradual recovery of inbound and outbound tourism, the tourism industry has ushered in a better development opportunity. We are full of confidence and expectation in this regard. Tuniu will continuously adjust and upgrade its products according to market changes. For example, in terms of service upgrades, there are two options: one is "zero shopping" on the Niuren hotline, and the other is "zero bundled air tickets.". In 2023, Tuniu's "Niuren Special Line" and group tour services, on the basis of pre compensation, group guarantee, worry free room sharing, refund and modification guarantee, exclusive consultant and other rights, have also launched a full process zero shopping guarantee, greatly improving the experience of tourists traveling with groups. In terms of air tickets, Tuniu provides a ticket booking service with "0 price increase, 0 bundled booking, worry free return and change, and fast travel", respecting user choices and achieving cheaper bundled booking.
Outbound travel is the key direction of Tuniu's business in 2024. Especially in Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, where we have advantages, we will increase investment in products and resources, accelerate supply chain recovery, and optimize product supply. We have seen an obvious increase in tourism popularity of destinations related to the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" this year, including the five Central Asian countries and other destination countries. In 2024, Tuniu will also increase its product research and development efforts in these fields.