Family tours see 41% spending growth in H1

Family tours saw a 41 percent growth in expenditures in China in the first half this year compared to 2020, ThePaper reported on Monday based on data from Ctrip, a major online travel website.

Average spending on accommodation per person for family tour travelers is at least 20 percent higher than that in a standard trip, as per Ctrip data, but the price sensitivity for these travelers is drastically lower compared with others. Ctrip found it was hard to book a parent-child room during peak season even though some of these rooms are priced at above 5,000 yuan ($785.63) per night.

Data from Ctrip showed parents who were born in the 1980s and 1990s have been major consumers, comprising 74.3 percent of the total family tour travelers.

These parents born in the 1980s and 1990s are considered more fashionable and focused on quality. Ctrip data showed log cabins, RV camping, tent camping, tree houses and other nontraditional accommodation options have been also among their choices. In 2020, 94.5 percent of family travelers chose a family room in a hotel, 2.5 percent a log cabin, 1.2 percent a tree house, 1.1 percent tent camping and 0.4 percent RV camping.

The number of camps around first- and second-tier cities have accounted for over 50 percent of the country's total. Seventy percent of parents have taken their children camping at least twice a year, according to Ctrip.

Ctrip said although the share of nontraditional accommodation is still low for now, it is growing rapidly and holds great promise.