Fliggy’s ‘Golden Week’ travel data highlights new China travel trends

China based OTA Fliggy saw a big rise in the total transaction value for domestic Golden Week travel.

Overall bookings for hotel and flight bookings during the recent holiday period saw double-digit growth compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The online travel platform, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group, just released its travel data for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays in China.

The number of people who made bookings for international flights reached a peak for the year.

In the month leading up to the holiday, the total value of visa application service transactions through Fliggy was up a remarkable 70% compared to this year’s Labor Day holiday.

Golden Week was the first national holiday period since the lifting of all Covid travel restrictions.

Fliggy says four major travel trends have emerged in terms of destination choices, preferred travel styles and experiences, and spending.

Rise in independent travel demand
There has been a notable surge in consumer demand for flexible itineraries and personalised travel experiences. The total value of transactions for local leisure tourism services such as snorkeling and helicopter sightseeing at international destinations, soared nearly nine-fold. Destinations such as the Maldives, French Polynesia, Egypt, and Kenya all experienced big rises.

Long-haul destinations have gained prominence
Within China, Sichuan, Beijing, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang, Guangxi, Qinghai and Jiangsu are the top domestic destinations for long-haul trips.

For outbound travel, there is a trend of opting for farther flung destinations. Apart from popular destinations like Australia, New Zealand, and the UAE, Turkey, Iceland, and Egypt have also become increasingly popular.

Emphasis on quality services
There has been a noticeable uptick in demand for superior quality, tailored travel experiences. On Fliggy’s platform, the number of bookings for four and five-star hotels during Golden Week increased by over 50% compared to the same period in 2019.

The Asian Games fuelled growth in Hangzhou and Competition Zones
The Asian Games spurred a spike in hotel bookings during this year’s Golden Week in the six Competition Zone cities of Hangzhou, Ningbo, Jinhua, Huzhou, Wenzhou, and Shaoxing. The total number of room nights booked across hotels in these cities increased by 60% compared to 2019.

Zhang Chen, VP of Fliggy, said, “These trends reveal a growing preference towards higher quality, personalised journeys and an increasing interest in exploring destinations that were once considered distant.”