Tourists shift focus to local destinations as uncertainty looms for outbound trips

Rising jet fuel costs and uncertainty over international air routes are driving a shift from outbound to domestic travel, with Chinese tourism platforms predicting that this year's Labor Day holiday is expected to see a surge in domestic tourism.

The Labor Day public holiday in China this year is a five-day break from May 1 to 5.

Data from online travel agency Qunar showed that bookings for long-haul trips to domestic destinations over 800 kilometers away have increased more than 30 percent year-on-year, while hotel reservations in popular third-tier and smaller cities have doubled.

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According to a report by the online travel platform Tuniu, bookings for domestic package tours during the Labor Day holiday increased 10 percent year-on-year, with self-drive tour bookings surging over 50 percent and free independent travel bookings rising nearly 20 percent.

As overseas travel becomes less predictable, many Chinese tourists are opting for more relaxed, immersive domestic experiences. Among emerging trends is "lie-flat travel" — low-key, quality stays in smaller cities, often in star hotels that cost a fraction of those in first-tier cities.

For example, an office worker surnamed Qi from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, chose Jiayu, a small county in Hubei, about an hour's drive from her home. "Deciding to travel to my doorstep made me feel relaxed," she said. "I booked a very nice hotel for only a third of the price in a first-tier city, saving me 1,000 yuan ($146)."

Another traveler, Lyu Qing, a Beijing resident who used to take her child abroad every holiday, opted this time for Luzhou, a lesser-known city in Sichuan province. "Flights to Europe are too expensive without stopovers in the Middle East, and routes to Southeast Asia are uncertain," she said. "So I chose a small domestic city — fewer crowds, cheaper and more reliable."

Qunar data showed that hotel bookings in destinations such as Ding'an in Hainan province surged 8.7 times year-on-year, while Luzhou in Sichuan saw a fivefold increase and Zhongshan in Guangdong province a fourfold rise. The average price of luxury hotels in popular small cities is more than 40 percent lower than in first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, with some county-level luxury hotels charging as little as 300 yuan per night during the holiday peak period.

The introduction of a spring break from late April to early May in about 30 cities — including Hangzhou and Ningbo in Zhejiang province, Changsha in Hunan province and Shenyang in Liaoning province — has encouraged families to travel earlier, thereby easing congestion during the traditional peak period. Qunar said that staggered spring breaks across regions have effectively extended the holiday period to 17 days, from April 24 to May 10.

Tuniu said that the travel boom in Zhejiang is expected to start early, from Tuesday, driven by the spring break. The combined spring break and Labor Day holiday has created an extended "3+5" vacation, with local bookings surging by 135 percent year-on-year for the period.

According to Qunar, trips during the weekends before and after the holiday have increased by 20 percent year-on-year, with average round-trip airfares about 40 percent cheaper than flying on April 30 or May 5. Meanwhile, bookings for multi-city itineraries — covering two or more destinations — have risen 118 percent year-on-year, while bookings for self-drive tours have climbed nearly 60 percent.

Lyu Ning, dean of Beijing International Studies University's School of Tourism Sciences, said the shift in demand from high-end outbound travel toward domestic long-haul trips would accelerate innovation in domestic tourism products.

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"Traditional sightseeing is being replaced by immersive experiences, niche destinations, light luxury getaways and loop self-drive tours," said Lyu. "Tourists now prioritize safety, immersive experiences and value for money, and are developing a growing appreciation for China's natural and cultural assets."

She called on domestic destinations to benchmark international service standards and develop small but refined leisure travel concepts. She said that local governments should tap into county-level cultural and tourism resources, such as Ding'an in Hainan and Luzhou in Sichuan, and integrate hot spring wellness, healing retreats and folk customs to fill the gap in the market for high-end domestic vacations.

Lyu also stressed the need for smart governance. Big data and digital platforms should be used to monitor real-time crowd densities and implement dynamic early warning systems and intelligent diversion strategies. She said that strict caps on scenic area capacity, online reservations, timed entry and route diversification are essential to prevent overcrowding and ensure travel quality.

Contact the writers at zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn