Summer travel booms in China, spurring economic vitality

As the summer sun blazes, China's landmarks are bustling with tourists from near and far, marking the annual peak season for travel that stretches across July and August.

China is expecting 860 million railway passenger trips in July and August, averaging 13.87 million daily. This strong travel demand is mainly driven by summer vacationers, tourists and family visitors, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

Railway operators plan to increase transportation capacity by deploying 276 additional temporary trains daily, an increase of 128 from the same period last year. Overall, approximately 11,500 trains are scheduled nationwide each day.

According to data from the flight travel app Umetrip, domestic flight bookings from July 1 to August 31 have surpassed 18 million, marking a 23-percent increase from the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, the planned inbound and outbound flights stand at approximately 145,000, with nearly 7 million tickets booked, almost double that of last year.

Several airlines said that their planned daily domestic flights will exceed pre-pandemic levels of 2019, with international flights expected to match those of 2019. Additional flights have been scheduled for popular tourist destinations, including cities in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, southwest China's Sichuan Province and south China's Hainan Province.

Highlighting their readiness for the travel rush, Quan Xiaoyi, vice president of Sanya Phoenix International Airport, said preparations include deploying volunteers at check-in counters and special service areas, as well as opening green channels for university freshmen to enhance travel efficiency and ensure a smooth experience.

Summer vacation economy

Behind the surging travel rush lies a vibrant "summer vacation economy," driven by tourism demands such as educational and family tours.

According to travel agency Ctrip, nearly 40 percent of its summer travelers chose tourist attractions suitable for children, with famous theme parks in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Zhuhai emerging as top family destinations.

"The popularity of family trips and educational tours underscores the increasing demand for enriching family interactions and educational experiences," said Xiao Peng, a researcher at online travel agency Qunar.com. "Such trips also foster the transformation of the tourism industry toward diversification and personalized experiences."

Chinese authorities have already implemented measures to help tourism businesses cater to evolving consumer demands.

Nearly 37,000 cultural tourism consumption events will be launched across the country in the summer, according to Fu Hanxiao, an official of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. These events cover over 4,000 consumption categories and include attractive measures such as coupons, discounts and affordable package deals.

From the Spring Festival to May Day and the Dragon Boat Festival, this year's holidays have seen a rapid recovery in cultural and tourism consumption vitality, demonstrating the immense potential of China's vast market of over 1.4 billion people.

Analysts believe that industries such as tourism, education and entertainment will thrive in the coming years due to increasing demand for quality and personalized options during the summer season, serving as a new catalyst for economic momentum.

Robust inbound and outbound tourism

The summer travel enthusiasm among tourists has also led to a surge in outbound and inbound travel bookings. A report from Ctrip, a Chinese online travel service provider, heralds a steady ascent in China's tourism market. Nearly seven million air tickets are expected to be booked for both inbound and outbound journeys this summer, reflecting a staggering 93-percent year-on-year increase, the report says.

The southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou logged over 44,000 arrivals and departures on a single day in July, said local customs.

In the first half of this year, China welcomed 14.64 million international visitors, a 153-percent leap from the previous year. Remarkably, 8.54 million entered through visa-free entry, a 190-percent surge, according to the National Immigration Administration.

This influx is partly due to China's 144-hour visa-free transit policy, which has opened doors for many first-time visitors.

"Tourism has become a burgeoning demand among people seeking a better quality of life. Tourism demand is the most important factor in promoting the development of the holiday tourism economy," Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy told China Media Group.

"In promoting the development of the tourism economy, authorities in various regions have pushed forward innovation in tourism supply chains, especially in improving public cultural services in tourism. Creating a friendly tourism marketing environment plays a fundamental supporting role in the innovative development of China's tourism economy," Dai noted.

(With input from Xinhua)