Holiday bonus as hotel prices and airfares drop

Tourists will have a more economical experience during the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival holiday from June 22-24 as travel costs are falling, industry experts forecast.

People prefer short-haul trips during the three-day holiday, especially destinations that can be reached within two hours by high-speed rail, according to an industrial report released by the online travel agency Ctrip recently.

In terms of booking volumes, the most popular cities include Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing in Jiangsu province, Chengdu in Sichuan province and Xi'an in Shaanxi province.

Of them, many have seen a remarkable drop in hotel room rates when compared with the May Day holiday, the report said. For example, average prices of hotels in Xi'an decreased by 29 percent, while those of Nanjing slumped by 22 percent.

People have released some of their travel demand during the May Day holiday. Therefore most cities will receive smaller crowds during this year's Dragon Boat Festival and hotel prices will dive, said experts from the research institute affiliated with Ctrip.

Starting from June 5, fuel surcharges on domestic air tickets were cut for the third time this year, which has brought down travel costs and benefited the tourism market during the holiday.

Data from Ctrip showed that the average tax-inclusive prices of oneway domestic air tickets during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday were 20 percent lower than those of the May Day holiday.

Among people who are planning a tour for the holiday, those aged 18 to 35 account for the largest proportion, according to travel service platform Qunar.

Young people, especially students graduating college or high school, are eager to celebrate their graduation by traveling, experts said. Besides first and second-tier cities, they are looking for places known for cheap and tasty specialties such as Zibo in Shandong province and Luoyang in Henan province.

Meanwhile, the soaring summer temperature is fueling the popularity of water activities.

The travel portal ly.com said rafting and water parks have become the most searched items on its platform for the holiday. Gulong Gorge in Qingyuan, Guangdong province; Chimelong Water Park in Guangzhou, Guangdong; and Aquaventure Water Park in Sanya, Hainan province, are among the most favored spots.

In addition, some people are opting for a getaway in the mountains to escape the summer heat. Resorts such as Mogan Mountain in Zhejiang province and Qingcheng Mountain in Sichuan province are expected to welcome flocks of tourists next week, ly.com said.

Outbound tourism will also see a boom during the upcoming holiday. Ctrip reported that its booking numbers for outbound tourism products have jumped 12 times year-on-year.

In comparison with the May Day holiday, the prices of outbound flight tickets decreased slightly.

Outbound tourists are showing a preference for short-haul flights lasting less than three hours, such as Shanghai to Osaka, Japan, and Beijing to Seoul, South Korea, Ctrip said.

zhanglinwan@chinadaily.com.cn