News updates on China's recovering travel industry.
China Expected to Regain Position as Queensland's Largest International Source Market Starting From 2025
Recently, the Queensland Tourism and Events Promotion Bureau held the "Queensland Is Calling" Queensland Tourism Industry Greater China Negotiation Meeting in China. This is the first industry negotiation meeting held by the Queensland Tourism and Events Promotion Bureau in China since 2019.
Katie Mills, Director of the International Department of the Queensland Tourism and Events Promotion Bureau, revealed that according to data as of September 2023, China has become Queensland's fourth-largest international source market in terms of tourism revenue. It is estimated that by the Spring Festival of 2025, the Chinese market will fully recover, and that from 2025 to 2032, China will regain its position as Queensland's largest international source market.
Chinese Tour Group Robbed at Gunpoint
The Chinese Embassy in South Africa issued a security alert on March 29th: Recently, a Chinese tour group en route to a scenic area in the Northwest Province encountered armed robbers near Rustenburg on the R556 highway, resulting in the theft of valuables. Several incidents of foreign tourist tour groups being robbed had occurred on the same stretch of road prior to this incident.
Chinese Total Travel Agencies Reach 56,275
On March 26, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism released the "Fourth Quarter 2023 National Travel Agency Statistical Survey Report" on its official website. As of December 31, 2023, there was a total of 56,275 travel agencies nationwide.
In terms of domestic tourism, in the fourth quarter, national travel agencies organized 36.4533 million domestic person-trips, with 86.5513 million person-days. The top ten regions in terms of ranking were Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Hubei, Shanghai, Hunan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Jiangxi, and Beijing.
Regarding outbound tourism, travel agencies organized 1.9559 million person-trips and 9.3769 million person-days of outbound tourism. The top ten destination countries or regions were Thailand, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, Russia, and France.
Thailand Takes First Step Towards Legalising Casinos, Aims to Increase Tourism Revenue
The Thai Parliament House, consisting of 500 members, voted on March 28th to support a parliamentary committee's study on allowing casinos to be established in large entertainment centres. Of the 257 members present, 253 voted in favour of the plan.
The lower house also preliminarily approved a series of legislative proposals aimed at reforming the alcoholic beverage industry, including abolishing a legal provision that has prohibited the sale of alcohol from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for 52 years. Julapun Amornvivat, Deputy Minister of Finance of Thailand, stated that the study on casinos will be referred to the cabinet to decide whether legalising casinos is appropriate for the country.
Guangzhou Zhilv's 2023 revenue reaches ¥2.246 billion
On March 22nd, Guangzhou Zhilv's parent company Lingnan Holdings disclosed its annual report for 2023. Financial data shows that in 2023, Lingnan Holdings' operating income was about ¥3.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 229%; the net profit was ¥68.8 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 138.7%, turning toward profitability.
Lingnan Holdings' travel agency operating income in 2023 reached ¥2.246 billion, a year-on-year increase of 571.8%; hotel operating income was ¥959 million, a year-on-year increase of 73.4%, and hotel management income was ¥181 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 39.4%.
Fliggy Launches New Urban Tourism Product, CityEat Pass
On March 28, the online travel service platform Fliggy officially launched the "CityEat Pass" for Hangzhou urban travel, combining local scenic spot experiences and popular restaurants in Hangzhou. According to the official announcement of Fliggy, the product was initially sold in a limited quantity of 400. The CityEat Pass is jointly created with Mi Xueshiji, a food blogger with nearly 2 million followers and thousands of recommended restaurants across the Chinese internet.
Ctrip's "318 Festival Day" Drives Off-Peak Season Marketing, Nearly 8 Million Merchants See 101% GMV Growth
Ctrip recently concluded its'"318 Global Travel Bargain Festival", referring to a March 18th festival sale day, providing travel merchants with a guaranteed growth opportunity during a relatively off-peak period of time. Recently, Ctrip announced the results of 2024's iteration of 318. The 33-day event brought more than 1.2 billion yuan in GMV to merchants from 27 countries and regions worldwide, achieving 101% year-on-year growth compared to 2023.
Tongcheng Partners with Kazakh Tourism
On March 28, China's Tongcheng reached a strategic cooperation with Kazakh Tourism. Under the agreement, Tongcheng will fully leverage its platform resource advantages to provide high-quality cooperation solutions for Kazakhstan. Tongcheng will provide Kazakhstan comprehensive exposure to the Chinese tourism market in areas such as tourism platform construction, tourism product releases, tourism product series and route development, product promotion and publicity, tourism database establishment, brand packaging, and event planning.
Air China to Increase Frequency of Chongqing-Seoul Route Flights
Starting from March 31, the 2024 summer and autumn flight season officially begins. In the new flight season, Air China's Chongqing destinations include 45 points, including 37 domestic points and 8 international and regional points, including Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Budapest, Seoul, and Dubai. Among them, the Chongqing-Seoul route will increase to one flight per day in the mid-term of the flight season.
China Southern Airlines to Launch Beijing Daxing-Riyadh Direct Flight Route
On April 16, China Southern Airlines will open a direct flight route from Beijing Daxing to Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is reported that the China Southern Airlines Beijing Daxing-Riyadh route will be operated by Airbus A330-300 aircraft, with flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The outbound flight CZ5077 departs from Beijing Daxing International Airport at 15:10 Beijing time and arrives at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh at 20:10 local time. The flight duration is approximately 10 hours. The return flight CZ5078 departs at 22:10 local time and arrives in Beijing at 12:00 Beijing time the next day, with a total flight time of approximately 8 hours and 50 minutes.
New Oriental Establishes Tourism Internet Services & Streaming Company in Suzhou
Known best for being one of the leading education providers in China, New Oriental is now expanding into the tourism business, with its new Suzhou subsidiary specialising in digital cultural and creative software development, internet sales, tourism development project planning consulting, passenger ticketing, and even live streaming services.
The United States Will Invest $50 Million to Reduce Visa Waiting Times
Recently, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to allocate $50 million to the State Department to help "reduce passport backlogs and visa waiting times." This measure has been widely praised by the tourism industry. The bill does not specify visa categories or countries, but tourism associations have urged the State Department to use these resources as soon as possible to reduce waiting times and promote the growth of inbound tourists.