On flights to major tourist destinations around the world, the familiar figures of Chinese tourists are gradually returning. During this year's May Day holiday, Global Times reporters experienced the long-awaited "China fever" in several popular tourist destinations around the world. Whether it's traditional Southeast Asian routes or emerging niche destinations, China's tourism demand, which has been fully released after the epidemic, is surging in like a tide. The reporter's visit found that new demand for Chinese tourists in outbound tourism is springing up like mushrooms after rain, but due to the aftermath of the impact of the epidemic on the industry, there are still some factors that need to be waiting for the "full blood recovery" of the outbound tourism market to return to normal.

You can hear Chinese everywhere in your ear

According to a report from the National Immigration Administration on the 4th, during the May Day holiday this year, border inspection agencies across the country inspected a total of 6.265 million inbound and outbound personnel, with a daily average of 1.253 million, an increase of about 2.2 times compared to the same period last year and 59.2% of the same period in 2019. With the continuous relaxation of entry and exit policies and the increase of international flights, the recovery of China's outbound tourism market is accelerating. According to data released by Tongcheng, during this year's May Day holiday, destinations in Southeast Asia such as Hong Kong, Macau, and Thailand and Singapore were the most favored by tourists in terms of outbound routes and international hotel bookings.

"When you walk on the streets of Bangkok, you can hear Chinese everywhere." The Thaiger, a Thai media, reported that during the May Day holiday, the number of reservations of Chinese tourists in Thai hotels increased nearly 30 times year-on-year, 18% higher than before the COVID-19 epidemic. On the 3rd, Vice Chairman of the Thailand China Tourism Alliance Association, Chanapan, stated that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand every day is currently around 10000, which has returned to one-third of the pre pandemic level.

"The huge increase of Chinese tourists has made local tourism hot spots crowded." The Lianhe Zaobao reported on the 2nd that the business of some vendors in Singapore has increased by 20% to 30% due to the return of Chinese tourists, and even the front row of Songhua Meat and Bones Tea Shop, a famous local food in Singapore, has formed a long queue until late at night. Some tourist attractions are "hard to get a ticket". The staff of the Sentosa Rapid Transit train revealed that the passenger flow has recently increased by 20%. About 70% of the tourists are foreign tourists, with Chinese tourists accounting for the majority.

In addition to the traditional popular destinations in Southeast Asia, China's "the Belt and Road" project has also opened a new door for outbound tourism. After the opening of cross-border passenger transport on the China Laos Railway on April 13, the tourism heat in Vientiane and surrounding areas has risen sharply.

Not only Southeast Asia, but also global tourist destinations are experiencing a wave of Chinese tourists returning. After China released two lists of countries to resume outbound team tourism this year, the number of destinations for outbound team tourism in China has increased to 60 countries.

On a flight to Egypt, the reporter observed that there were not a few passengers from China. A Chinese tourist said that after three years of COVID-19, Egypt's landing visa policy and unique Middle Eastern culture are very attractive for trying out fresher tourist destinations. He said that he thought choosing Egypt would stagger the "popular" areas, but after boarding the plane, he found that many Chinese tourists around him had the same thoughts.

The return of Chinese tourists has also made travel agencies in New Zealand busy again. During the epidemic, many Chinese travel agencies in New Zealand closed down or laid off workers, forcing a large number of tour guides, drivers, and sales personnel to switch careers. Recently, many people have told reporters that they are closely monitoring the return of Chinese tourists. Some travel agencies have started recruiting experienced tour guides and drivers again, and developing more suitable tourist routes for Chinese tourists.

There are significant differences in demand compared to before the epidemic

Ms. Zhao, who was traveling to Western Australia on the eve of May Day, told Global Times that after three years of the pandemic, she had new demands for outbound travel. I will place more emphasis on customization and personalization, pay more attention to individual needs, pay more attention to the 'localization' and 'experience' of tourism projects, and also pay more attention to promoting niche destinations and new experiences

In mid April, reporters encountered more than 10 groups of Chinese tourists in Tasman National Park in New Zealand. Prior to the pandemic, Tasman National Park was not on a classic tourist route in New Zealand. Local tourism practitioners have analyzed to reporters that a more niche "theme tour" may become a new feature for Chinese tourists visiting New Zealand. Recently, the popularity of "wedding tours" and "skiing tours" in Queenstown, New Zealand, "Australian online tours" in Melbourne, Australia, and "winery tours" in Adelaide have all been increasing.

The Thai Tourism Bureau has also found that compared to traditional attractions, young Chinese tourists are more inclined to timely communicate their travel situation through social media, "check in" popular internet celebrity food and specialty stores. Japanese tourism industry believes that Chinese tourists are more inclined to visit "non popular" tourist destinations. Taking Tokyo as an example, coffee shops in places such as Lower Kitazawa and Freedom Hill are highly favored by young Chinese tourists. The consumption form of Chinese tourists has also shifted from "shopping" to "experience", with high-end hotels, one-day experiential activities, beauty, health examinations and other tourism forms included in the travel list of the new generation of Chinese tourists.

What's the difference in achieving a complete recovery?

During the May Day period, China's demand for outbound tourism accelerated to release, but overall there is still some way to go before returning to the pre pandemic level. Firstly, many travelers report that the ticket prices for outbound routes are on the high side. According to the "2023 May Day Travel Data Report" released by Ctrip, the average price of cross-border one-way taxed air tickets during the "May Day" holiday is 2104 yuan, an increase of 34% compared to 2019. The CEO of Asia Airlines Thailand told The Bangkok Post that compared to before the pandemic, the average ticket prices for the reopened Chinese routes in Thailand have increased by 50%.

Secondly, overseas tourism institutions have not yet truly experienced the "full blooded recovery" of China's outbound tourism. Mr. Yu, the general manager of New Zealand Wanguo Travel Agency, admitted to reporters that the overall industry feels that the recovery rate is relatively slow. Before the epidemic, the number of Chinese tourists visiting New Zealand reached around 430000 annually, but so far this year it is only around 20000. Moreover, the current cost of outbound travel has increased compared to before the epidemic. Due to inflation, prices in New Zealand have increased by about 40% compared to the pandemic. In 2019, it will cost more than 25000 New Zealand dollar dollars to enjoy the tourist quality with a group fee of 15000 New Zealand dollar dollars.

Zheng Hongfeng, founder and CEO of Feiyou Technology Co., Ltd., believes that there are three factors currently limiting the recovery progress of outbound tourism. Firstly, the visa queue has a long waiting time. In some places, it is normal for visa approval to queue for at least 1-2 months. In addition, factors such as the issue of flight rights and insufficient support capacity of the civil aviation system have resulted in fewer international flights. Finally, the service capacity of some tourism industries is still being rebuilt after the epidemic. Tourism agencies and local staff have experienced a significant loss during the epidemic, and other service capabilities also require time to rebuild.

Many of these situations are reflected in tourism in Thailand. The incomplete recovery of airline capacity, supply side control in the aviation and tourism industries, resulting in a shortage of flight supply, high ticket prices, and new visa procedures required by the government have all become obstacles affecting Chinese tourists.

However, good news from the aviation industry is constantly coming in. Since February this year, Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, and Air New Zealand have all resumed operations or added direct flights. During the May Day holiday, Air China resumed its flight from Beijing to Auckland on May 2nd, while Air New Zealand increased its daily flight from Auckland to Shanghai on May 3rd. HNA announced in late April that it would resume its route from Shenzhen to Auckland in June.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal in the United States, on May 3rd local time, the US Department of Transportation approved Chinese airlines to increase the weekly flights between China and the United States from 8 to 12, which is equivalent to the number of flights between American airlines and China. According to French media reports, direct flights from Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai to France will gradually increase from mid June. On the eve of May Day, Hainan Airlines resumed direct flights from Shenzhen to Paris.

Zheng Hongfeng believes that as visa restrictions gradually ease, flight capacity continues to recover, and the service guarantee capacity of the tourism industry returns, the demand for popularization will gradually recover. In the tourism market, group tours and other passenger groups will reappear.