February 10, 2021 As COVID-19 outbreaks across China result in new restrictions on travel, Spring Festival staycation bookings have skyrocketed. Image credit: Shutterstock
The outlook is quickly deteriorating for Chinese New Year domestic travel, according to new figures released by travel data analyst ForwardKeys.
As of Jan. 28, the firm revealed that tickets booked for the period Jan. 28 to Feb. 24 were down -75.9 percent against those booked for the comparable period of 2019, despite a more encouraging figure of -57.3 percent having been recorded during December for advance bookings.
ForwardKeys observed that there had been hopes for high levels of travel during this typically busy period, especially after a strong travel recovery in the domestic market by the end of third-quarter 2020. But localized COVID-19 outbreaks have resulted in new restrictions on travel, with travel bookings dropping sharply as a result.
/ Posted on 9 February, 2021 9:11
New outbreaks in China are keeping many families at home for the Chinese New Year holidays, dampening hopes of a travel rebound. To understand how the traditional peak travel season might have looked if not for the new threats, ForwardKeys and Dragon Trail Interactive team up to examine flight booking trends and travel marketing campaigns in the vast country.
There were high hopes for travel during this typically popular period, especially after a strong travel recovery in the domestic sector by the end of 3Q2020. But local Covid-19 outbreaks have resulted in official policies throughout the country requiring people not to leave the areas where they live, and as such travel bookings have dropped dramatically.
HONG KONG 9 February 2021: China’s week-long public holiday
for Chinese New Year begins 11 February, and it appears that the Year of the Ox
will kick off with many families having to stay put due to the current travel
restrictions, ForwardKeys reports.
Looking at China’s current and future tourism market, ForwardKeys and Dragon Trail Interactive teamed up to examine flight booking trends and travel marketing campaigns. They concluded Chinese New Year travel was on a pause.
“There were high hopes for travel during this typically
popular period, especially after a strong travel recovery in the domestic
sector by the end of Q3 2020.
In the pre-COVID-19 era, China was Europe s fastest-growing source market for international tourism with about 5 million Chinese tourists every year.
France, Italy and Spain are among their favourite spots for holidays.
Chinese tourists also spend over 250 billion euros a year around the world.
In a sector that has been dramatically hit by the pandemic, operators are confident that recovery will progressively start once a huge vaccination programme takes place.
They are already preparing to welcome millions of passengers from the Far East.
According to Dragon Trail Interactive, a company which helps tourism organisations engage with Chinese consumers, Chinese travellers have changed their preferences and patterns over time.