Eight-day holiday fuels boom in RV self-driving tourism
In China, the holidays of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the National Day, and the Golden Week usually fall close together.This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays are combined into an eight-day holiday, which is set to usher in a new tourism peak.
Cross-provincial Travel
According to China’s booking platform Ctrip, the long holiday is anticipated to sustain the summer boom in long-haul travel, with cross-provincial travel orders for the National Day accounting for 73% of the total, a ten percentage point increase from the 2022 level. Northwestern regions, known for their autumnal beauty, have emerged as the favoured destination for long-haul trips. Moreover, data from the RV service platform reveals that flexible RV self-driving tours have gained substantial popularity thanks to the long holiday.
According to a recent forecast from China’s platform RV2GOfor RV travel during the current long holiday, demand for RV tours during this year’s golden holiday has significantly surged.
“As of mid-September, our platform’s RV booking volume has grown by more than 100% compared to the same period in 2022, with reservations for popular areas like Xinjiang, Qinghai and Gansu increasing by over 8.5 times,” said a director from RV2GO. This year, the main customer base for RV travel during the holiday consists of those born in the 70s and the 80s, with the spacious, comfortable, and fully-equipped C-type RV80 and RV90 being the top choices due to the high demand for autumn sightseeing and home-visiting.
In terms of the travel distance, as of mid-September, long-haul RV travel orders for the National Day have accounted for over 90% of the total, with an average booking duration of 7.14 days. This implies that most RV travellers will “fully utilize” their holidays, indulging in the pursuit of an ideal life. Additionally, about 10% of users have taken additional annual leave for their trip, with the RV rental period extending over eight days.
RV Self-driving Hotspots
This year, RV self-driving hotspots remain in the northwestern and southwestern regions, with Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan maintaining their craze during the summer vacation. Furthermore, as the autumn falls, trips to view the autumn scenery have been well received, and the popularity of destinations like Kanas, Altay, Jiuzhaigou, and Daocheng Yading Nature Reservehas soared, with related product searches and consultation volumes on the RV platform increasing by over 300% in the past month.
Hangzhou
Notably, except for the northwest and southwest, some famous tourist cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Xi’an also appear on the popular list for RV holiday travel. Analysts believe that these cities, with their own facilities and tourist resources, are more suitable for RV family tours. As the host city of the 19th Asian Games, Hangzhou has also seen an uptick in travel demand during the eight-day holiday, with inquiries about RV tours in Hangzhou nearly doubling in the past month.
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