The outbound travel market welcomes the spring breeze. Xiamen Travel Agency deepens and refines the operation of tourism products- Leisure Travel- Dongnanwang Xiamen Channel

Economic Watch

The outbound tourism market welcomes the spring breeze

Xiamen travel agencies have responded to changes in demand, operating tourism products in depth and refinement

Xiamen Daily News (Reporter Wu Junning）A few days ago, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the list of the second batch of countries that have resumed outbound group tour business. The outbound group tour business to relevant countries and regions will be resumed on a pilot basis from the 15th. So far, the number of destination countries that have opened pilot outbound group tours in China has reached 60. Since the resumption of outbound group tours, major travel agencies in Xiamen have launched outbound tour products one after another, and the outbound tour market has shown a continuous recovery and accelerated recovery.

【trend】

Outbound travel is on the rise

Product richness attracts attention

On the evening of March 3rd, nearly a month before my country’s trial travel agency resumed on February 6th to operate outbound group tours for Chinese citizens to relevant countries, a Xiamen Airlines flight MF891 departing from Xiamen landed at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali. This is the first time in three years that Xiamen Airlines has resumed the route from Xiamen to Bali. The round-trip ticket price shown on the official website is as low as 1985 yuan. Previously, only air tickets between Shenzhen and Bali were on sale in China, and the price was nearly 5,000 yuan.

Zeng Qiqi was one of the first batch of 146 passengers who flew directly to Bali. She had traveled around dozens of countries. The destination of her last trip before the outbreak was also in Bali. At 23:15 local time on March 3, she was excited when she landed in Bali again. “I hope to start again from the previous finishing point and continue my dream of traveling around the world,” she said.

The major travel agencies and online travel platforms in Xiamen can’t wait to embark on this “journey”. A number of travel agencies are eager to plan outbound travel products, and various promotional posters have begun to “bomb” the circle of friends.

“When is the fastest departure route in Thailand? How much is the price?” Zhu Qi, who lives nearby, asked at the store of Xiamen Travel International Travel Agency in the Tourism Building a few days ago. The staff member Xiao Zhang started to introduce her as soon as he put down the phone. Xiao Zhang said that the number of people making inquiries about outbound travel on the phone and on the spot has increased several times compared to before the Spring Festival, and the number of inquiries and reservations for self-guided travel products during the May Day period is the most.

The reporter visited some travel agencies and found that the destinations of outbound travel products that have been launched so far are concentrated in Thailand, the Philippines in Southeast Asia, Egypt, Dubai and other places in the Middle East, among which products related to Thailand account for about half of all outbound travel products. Many citizens are also consulting and booking long-distance travel products such as Switzerland and New Zealand.

“Xiamen tourists prefer to travel abroad in the form of group tours and customized tours.” Li Dong, director of South China Region of the Public Affairs Department of Ctrip Group, told reporters that since February 6, Xiamen tourists have booked outbound group tours, free travel packages, and customized tours. Orders for travel products increased by more than 10 times year-on-year. So far, Ctrip has launched more than 1,000 outbound and group travel routes and “air ticket + hotel” package products.

People’s demand for outbound travel has also shown new changes: group products have changed from large groups of dozens of people in the past to small groups of less than 20 people, paying more attention to quality and safety, and the richness of tourism products.

The in-depth and refined operation of tourism products will become a trend. Many travel agencies, such as Xiamen Airlines International Travel, Xiamen Comfort International Travel, China International Travel Service (Xiamen), etc., have planned to add some new locations and new experiences to their outbound travel products. “Many citizens have changed from traveling many times a year to once or twice a year. They hope that the quality of outbound tourism products will be improved.” said Wu Shuiyan, chief assistant of China International Travel Service (Xiamen) International Travel Agency. They continue to try product innovation, For example, islands such as Coron have been added to the product design of the Philippine route to meet various vacation needs.

【status quo】

It will take time for the industrial chain to recover

Many people are still on the sidelines

The popularity of outbound travel continues to pick up, but there is still a long way to go before it can be transformed into a concentrated release of real consumer demand.

Recently, a group of C&D International Travel Group launched the “New Zealand North and South Island 10-Day Tour” on March 22. This is a small group of 20 people. There are still 6 seats 10 days after the launch. It is not as immediate as everyone expected. full. The staff said that the enthusiasm of citizens for outbound travel is not as high as everyone imagined. At present, there are many inquiries about outbound travel, but many people are still in a wait-and-see state.

After the epidemic, the loss of employees and suppliers has changed. Many travel agencies are facing the problem of resource docking and need to start from scratch. The prices of outbound and group tours are still high. The reporter found that compared with three years ago, the price of some tourism products has increased by nearly 50%. For example, a trip to Egypt cost about 7,000 to 8,000 yuan before the epidemic, but now it costs about 12,000 yuan.

“Organizing and receiving large-scale outbound travel groups, there are fewer optional destinations, and they are concentrated in Thailand, the Philippines and other places with more mature products. Air tickets, visas, destination reception, etc. will take time to recover, and many destinations are still not ready. Prepare.” Lin Zhimin, general manager of Xiamen Comfort International Travel, said that it will take time to regroup people from flight capacity, visas, to local team accommodation, destination reception, etc. At present, their more popular products are “air ticket + hotel” packages and small package products, that is, travel products that include some optional items.

【explore】

Launch free travel products to attract young people

The industry is actively deploying overseas resources

According to Su Zhijiang, Director of the Outbound Center of Xiamen Travel International Travel Agency, currently, the group tourists who participate in outbound group tours in Xiamen are mainly retired middle-aged and elderly people, and most young people travel abroad on their own. They are also packaging more free and semi-free travel products.

People in the industry generally believe that as the pace of recovery accelerates, it is imminent to restore the industrial supply chain. As far as the cost-effectiveness of tourism products is concerned, the capacity of international flights of various airlines is still somewhat tight. Expenses for group tours will remain relatively high in the short term due to rising air tickets, hotel and reception costs, but the enthusiasm of consumers will attract more resources into the market.

Right now, major travel agencies and online travel companies are stepping up their efforts to prepare products to explore the outbound group travel market.

“Since the Spring Festival, we have been in close contact with local travel agencies in overseas regions that have resumed outbound travel, and have been intensively arranging procurement resources.” Zhang Yan, product director of overseas group tours of Ctrip, said that in the past three years, many overseas Chinese restaurants have been closed. It will take some time for tour guides to change careers, and for overseas travel agencies to regroup. It will take a process for the outbound and group tour market to fully recover. Similarly, Wu Shuiyan’s colleagues also rushed to several major overseas destinations before the Spring Festival to connect with local resources. “Tour guides, fleets, restaurants, hotels, etc. all need to be reconnected.” Wu Shuiyan said.

At present, various tourism companies have strengthened resource integration and connection with overseas destinations. Industry insiders predict that after the air transport capacity and overseas resources return to normal and the number of outbound tourists increases, the price of outbound group tours will gradually drop, and more diversified and cost-effective products will be launched. The number of applicants ushered in a more significant increase, and it is expected that outbound tourism will usher in a small peak from May to August this year.

【Link】

Outbound group tourList of pilot countries

First batch:

Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, UAE, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Russia, Switzerland, Hungary, New Zealand, Fiji, Cuba, Argentina

Second batch:

Nepal, Brunei, Vietnam, Mongolia, Iran, Jordan, Tanzania, Namibia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Zambia, Senegal, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Serbia, Croatia, France, Greece, Spain, Iceland, Albania, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Slovenia, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Panama, Dominica, El Salvador, Dominica, Bahamas