BEIJING: China's tourists are set to stick close to home and take advantage of discounts as they take time off for the first major holiday since the easing of COVID-19 lockdowns, offering a glimpse of what travel may look like after the epidemic.
A five-day Labour Day holiday from May 1 is being seen as a test for the tourism industry, one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus, which emerged in central China late last year and triggered shutdowns of up to three months.
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READ: Spring yet to come: Small businesses at Beijing's tourist hotspots struggle
READ: Commentary: China's COVID-19 push for global influence
Travel operator Trip.com estimates about 90 million people will go on holiday for the May Day break, less than half the number who went last year.
Beijing is keen to reposition the virus as a global outbreak and not just a China malaise AFP/STR
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But hotels and major travel operators said they were optimistic about presale figures, with Marriott International saying many companies were promoting "staycations".
"It's encouraging to see signs of recovery after a long, cold winter," said Jolyon Bulley, chief executive of InterContinental Hotels Group Greater China, who told Reuters that May Day bookings were showing some positive signs.
Many people were planning to visit places in home provinces or nearby cities, Trip.com said, citing ticket sales.
Half of its presold rooms were for five-star hotels, indicating travellers were seeking better quality accommodation due to epidemic concerns, it said.
They are also taking advantage of cheap domestic flights and hotel deals being offered by airlines and hotel chains eager to get people travelling again.
FILE PHOTO: A woman runs past a banner of health advice at Tsim Sha Tsuis tourist attraction, following the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Hong Kong, China April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Prices for popular routes such as Beijing to Sanya, on the southern holiday island of Hainan, have been slashed by up to 90 per cent, with booking on average 30 per cent down, according to Alibaba Group's travel booking platform Fliggy.
In the financial hub of Shanghai, Marriott is offering guests a 2,202 yuan (US$310) package that includes a one-night stay at its upscale W Hotel, a cocktail and tapas dinner and spa treatments.
Jiang Qin, a 38-year-old Beijing office worker, said she was going away but not too far. She aimed to take her 2-year-old daughter to the nearby city of Tianjin, having scrapped a plan to go to Hainan because of Beijing's quarantine requirements.
"Tianjin is not the best alternative, but I just want to travel. Anywhere is better than nowhere," she said.
LINGERING UNCERTAINTIES
However, industry executives warn that it too soon to say how robust the recovery in holiday travel will be given concern about a second wave of the coronavirus.
International travel remains out of the question for most, due to border restrictions imposed by other countries, a lack of flights and two weeks of quarantine that await people coming back to China.
People wearing face masks wait for a subway train inRead More – Source
BEIJING: China's tourists are set to stick close to home and take advantage of discounts as they take time off for the first major holiday since the easing of COVID-19 lockdowns, offering a glimpse of what travel may look like after the epidemic.
A five-day Labour Day holiday from May 1 is being seen as a test for the tourism industry, one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus, which emerged in central China late last year and triggered shutdowns of up to three months.
Advertisement
Advertisement
READ: Spring yet to come: Small businesses at Beijing's tourist hotspots struggle
READ: Commentary: China's COVID-19 push for global influence
Travel operator Trip.com estimates about 90 million people will go on holiday for the May Day break, less than half the number who went last year.
Beijing is keen to reposition the virus as a global outbreak and not just a China malaise AFP/STR
Advertisement
Advertisement
But hotels and major travel operators said they were optimistic about presale figures, with Marriott International saying many companies were promoting "staycations".
"It's encouraging to see signs of recovery after a long, cold winter," said Jolyon Bulley, chief executive of InterContinental Hotels Group Greater China, who told Reuters that May Day bookings were showing some positive signs.
Many people were planning to visit places in home provinces or nearby cities, Trip.com said, citing ticket sales.
Half of its presold rooms were for five-star hotels, indicating travellers were seeking better quality accommodation due to epidemic concerns, it said.
They are also taking advantage of cheap domestic flights and hotel deals being offered by airlines and hotel chains eager to get people travelling again.
FILE PHOTO: A woman runs past a banner of health advice at Tsim Sha Tsuis tourist attraction, following the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Hong Kong, China April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Prices for popular routes such as Beijing to Sanya, on the southern holiday island of Hainan, have been slashed by up to 90 per cent, with booking on average 30 per cent down, according to Alibaba Group's travel booking platform Fliggy.
In the financial hub of Shanghai, Marriott is offering guests a 2,202 yuan (US$310) package that includes a one-night stay at its upscale W Hotel, a cocktail and tapas dinner and spa treatments.
Jiang Qin, a 38-year-old Beijing office worker, said she was going away but not too far. She aimed to take her 2-year-old daughter to the nearby city of Tianjin, having scrapped a plan to go to Hainan because of Beijing's quarantine requirements.
"Tianjin is not the best alternative, but I just want to travel. Anywhere is better than nowhere," she said.
LINGERING UNCERTAINTIES
However, industry executives warn that it too soon to say how robust the recovery in holiday travel will be given concern about a second wave of the coronavirus.
International travel remains out of the question for most, due to border restrictions imposed by other countries, a lack of flights and two weeks of quarantine that await people coming back to China.
People wearing face masks wait for a subway train inRead More – Source
