Chinese New Year holidays 2023, trips mainly to China and with family and which will reach 2 billion?
兔年快乐哈 好运连绵 家庭幸福 快乐 兔年大吉大利 !
Happy New Year of the Rabbit, good luck and happy family!
Version française de cet article : https://urlz.fr/kvVv
In China, the Chinese New Year holidays have begun with domestic tourism statistics and visuals that are clearly reminiscent of 2019. In fact, 2 billion journeys are anticipated for these New Year holidays in 2023 (compared to 2.8 at 2019), and if tourists are wearing masks in railway stations of the first and second Chinese third cities, which are similar to the airports in European cities, they appear to be nearly as numerous as in 2019.
Moreover, 10 days after the reopening of China on January 8, 2023, if the normal health distrust of world destinations for the reception of Chinese tourists and Chinese retaliation seem to be softening. In particular for the reception of Japanese tourists and Koreans in China, the take-off of Chinese tourism in Asia, and in particular in Thailand, seems to be long overdue. Indeed, family reunions, and therefore trips to China, seem to be the preference of Chinese tourists for these New Year's holidays 2023.
Ioanna Papadopoulou #livestreaming, Véronique Kanel Switzerland Tourism British Airways, European Travel Commission, Fliggy 飞猪 Alibaba Group Taobao Marketplace Apple Julia Simpson World Travel & Tourism Council Ashley Dudarenok 艾熙丽 #sustainabletourism
1. Domestic tourism is the main focus of the New Year's holiday season more than ever.
The New Year holidays in China (1 month) could show the clear recovery of domestic tourism (2 billion trips or 70% of 2019)....
Zhou Hua, a tourist from Chengdu visiting with his family, said he came to Dali in Yunann to "clean his lungs" with mountain air after recovering from Covid. Stuck at home, so we rushed here," he said. I feel so free," exclaimed Hu, who traveled from Beijing to Dali, visiting the mountain town, located in Yunnan Province, southwest China. In addition to Chinese people, including those who had used to traveling the world until 2019, especially during the New Year holidays, prefer to stay in China with their families.
... and that it is yet too soon for Chinese tourism in Asia and the rest of the globe to revive.
International travelers' intents have increased significantly as a result of the statement that China will reopen on January 8. In a symmetrical manner, the announcements of the launching of new connections between Europe and China have increased in number. For instance, in addition to the already-existing direct route between the Greek capital and Beijing, the next launch of the direct air link between Athens and Shanghai was announced on December 22, 2022. According to Ioanna Papadopoulou, communications and marketing manager at Athens International Airport (AIA), this portends for a very positive start to 2023. The signs for Chinese tourists traveling the world in 2023 are fantastic, but they are already running into several obstacles that prevent them from turning their trip plans into reality.
As a matter of fact, as of January 20, 2023, the number of flights to and from China is just 11% of what it was in 2019. By April's end, this deal might be 25%.
Worldwide airlines, though, continue to be circumspect. For instance, Air France, which already operates two weekly flights to Shanghai, one to Beijing, and three to Hong Kong, will only investigate accelerating the expansion of its capacity by this summer when it adds a fourth flight to Hong Kong. unconnected air connections
Uncertainty about the Chinese people's health (PCR tests upon arrival in China or for Chinese abroad) as well as the potential for the reinstatement of restrictions, the deadlines for airline requests for the necessary authorization to the Chinese civil aviation administration, the bypassing of Russian space (longer flight times, higher fuel costs, and lower flight profitability), and not to mention the impacts of a lack of supply on the price of flights from/to China that restricts growth demand.See the Les Echos Etude article titled "Towards a Resumption of Air Traffic with China," published on January 19, 2023.
Due to plane reservations for the end of 2022 and the first few days of 2023, Thailand might anticipate a significant uptick in Chinese visitors following the New Year's holidays.In the end, the majority of Chinese tourists decide to spend the New year's day holidays in China.There is a strong desire to visit their hometown and meet their family.The desire for international travel tends to be put off until after the Spring Festival.
Beijing resident and financial employee Isabelle Wang has visited Europe, the Middle East, and certain regions of Asia.Her first aim is getting back together with her family in Shangrao, a city in south-central China, after three years of living more slowly due to the pandemic.
In light of this, it would be prudent to wait until the fourth quarter of 2023 before Thailand's rapid growth in air travel bookings materializes. This likely deferral of the significant recovery of Chinese tourism in Thailand is supported by the facts that Thailand is among the top 5 destinations for Chinese travelers, and the high demand for few spaces results in a 20% increase in travel packages.
The elderly in my family have not been infected, and I don't want to take any chances, therefore many Chinese people still hesitate to travel abroad. The chance of contracting different strains of the infection also exists, according to Zheng Xiaoli, a 44-year-old worker at an elevator firm in Guangzhou, southern China.
Before the pandemic, she had planned to visit Africa, but she noted, "There are still uncertainties, therefore I will practice moderation," despite her desire to go abroad. We might also note the uncertainty associated with the risks of the virus spreading in the Chinese countryside by Chinese urbanites returning to their family for the New Year vacations, echoing similar prudence.
2/ International locations, tourism industry players, and some brands are getting ready for their return and exploiting the New Year, regardless of the year of the return to the numbers of 2019.
To achieve the level of 2019 for many international destinations, Chinese tourism will need two more years. They still run digital impact campaigns to get ready for it and recall the positive experiences of Chinese tourists, despite this.
Since the summer of 2022, Italy has been preparing for the resumption of Chinese tourism via WeChat Channel live. The Italian tourist agency has actually requested Chinese KOLs to promote a few Italian travel spots live on the WeChat Channel. There were 30,000 spectators there. (Soon 372 million Chinese tourists in the world? What are the flimsy indications of a outbound Chinese tourism revival saying?)
According to "NZZ am Sonntag," Switzerland will begin influence operations in China in 2023 in collaboration with the biggest Chinese online travel firm, which will feature Roger Federer. The objective is to entice Chinese tourists back to Switzerland now that restrictions have been relaxed in their nation, according to Véronique Kane, a spokeswoman for Switzerland Tourism. In 2023, a certain number will return. Despite this, we do not anticipate reestablishing contact with the 2019 data until after two years.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Switzerland is utilizing its skiing asset to once again draw Chinese tourists, continuing the trend of emphasizing sport to attract tourist consumers who are interested in it (see Chinese plan: 300 million Chinese skiers in 2030). In the near future, Grindelwald Terminal, a new transit hub in the three mountains of the Jungfrau region, expects to draw more sports enthusiasts and Chinese tourists, and Chinese restaurant have already begun to appear.
The Chinese New Year and its celebrations are a period when it is customary to honor festivals and parades in the world's main cities by recalling the positive experiences of the country's connections with China. One can only assume that some of them celebrate the Chinese New Year a little bit more considering the goal of many nations to entice Chinese tourists to choose their destination.In addition, the New Year is frequently a good time to reflect on how well China and international tourism organizations get along.
For instance, this is true of the relationships between the China Mission to the European Union and European Travel Commission.
Le Nouvel An chinois et ses festivités sont un moment où il de tradition de se rappeler au bon souvenir des relations entre le pays et la Chine à la faveur de fêtes et défilés dans les grandes villes du monde. On peut imaginer que compte tenu du souhait de nombreux pays d'inciter les touristes chinois à chosir leur destination, certains d'entre eux célèbrent un peu plus le nouvel An Chinois. Concommittament, le nouvel An est souvent un moment propice pour rappeler la qualité des relations entre les instutions touristiques mondiales et la Chine. C'est par exemple le cas pour les relations entre la Communauté européenne du Voyage, European Travel Commission et la misssion Chine auprès de l'Union Européenne.
To engage with Chinese tourists who are potential customers, numerous businesses in the global tourism industry perform Chinese greetings. British Airways, is a good example of this. Video
Apple undoubtedly deserves the palm for its marketing strategy that used the New Year to connect with its Chinese clients.In fact, a film has been produced to showcase the New Year in China as well as the features of the newest iPhone for a few years now (see the 2020 film "Daugther" in my January 20, 2020 letter on Chinese tourism).This practice continues with the 2023 version of the short film, which continues to grow in length each time.According to Tim Cook, the 2023 film illustrates "the power of pursuing your passion."
But since 2019, when this tiny Chinese film from Apple released in its first edition, a lot has changed. In the meantime, with the iPhone, Apple has managed to overtake its Chinese rivals to take the top spot in the Chinese market in addition to being the only GAFAM available in China. Indeed, the iPhone is the most popular smartphone in China in the fourth quarter of 2021 with a 23% market share (and 79% growth). In this situation, Apple has taken its affection for the Chinese market even further by releasing an AirPods Pro version that is flocked with a.... rabbit.
Of course, many Chinese firms launch their digital marketing campaigns during the New Year, just as they frequently do for significant e-commerce occasions in China like November 11 (11/11) or June 18. ( 618). This is made more clear when businesses who operate in both the tourism and e-commerce sectors carry out these operations.
This is the case, for instance, with the company Taobao and, through it, Alibaba, its parent company, which operates in both e-commerce (Taobao) and tourism (Fliggy) by addressing generations Z. and Y., who are those who participate in Taobao's e-commerce livestreaming the most and who will likely boost the recovery of Chinese tourism in the world via, in particular, Fliggy, in the coming weeks.
The growth of French exports to China is also a symbol of the replacement of purchases previously made during trips to France. This generation Z, which frequently purchases French cosmetic products from those wishing to travel abroad, particularly to France, is also that to which international cosmetic brands, including French ones, can contact via livestreaming and Metaverse. The popularity of Liu Yexi, an influencer virtual from generation Z, has led French cosmetics companies that sell to China to recognize the metaverse and now "metaverse makeup" as trends in China (photo). Some major French brands collaborate with key actors, like as TheSandBox, while smaller brands launch NFT advertising campaigns, use blockchain technology, or use the metaverse as a retail channel. See the Next Made In France newsletter from December 14th, "Innovation, Web3, distribution, business regulatory, decrypt the Chinese cosmetic market of 2023."
In light of this, Taobao planned to launch a Livestreaming e-commerce platform in the metaverse specifically for the Chinese New Year to coincide with it. In this virtual world, users will be able to provide commands in real time thanks to enormous advertising screens.I want to thank Ashley Dudarenok 艾熙丽once more for sharing this information and linking to it in my post..
XXX
After almost three years, the practice of "revenge travel," which entails flying to make up for missed time during the pandemic, should revitalize tourism and stimulate businesses, according to Julia Simpson, President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). "What we typically observe is that there is a lot of unmet travel demand when countries reopen their borders during a pandemic. The first time someone asks for something like that, it's usually from relatives and friends, such students who are studying abroad, she said.
The early indications of the Chinese New Year holidays suggest that these excursions to make up for missed time will likely take place primarily in China in January, followed by Chinese from the Chinese diaspora in other parts of the world for family reunions in February or March.
This New Year's holiday-related return of Chinese tourism, which may thus occur mostly in China, will likely disclose underlying tendencies regarding new Chinese tourists in 2023, as well as their profile and aspirations.
We already know that the Covid period has accelerated a change in Chinese tourism which was already at work in 2019 (change from groups to individual trips, rise in power on the part of generation Z from the cities of the 1st third increasingly affluent, over-digitalised and in search of authentic experiences, in particular rural tourism for 17% of them).
Less well known is how the Covid years in China affected the demographics and expectations of Chinese tourists, particularly in terms of the environment.Will the summer heat wave in China in 2022, for instance, affect the demographics of Chinese tourists?
Will the share of trains increase in 2019 compared to 2023 for domestic travel during the New Year's holidays, even if this cannot be applied to their holidays around the world where they will continue to fly? Will this hot wave in 2022 also increase the sustainability of Chinese travel, excluding transportation (i.e., 80% of the trip)?
The effect of the Covid years in China on the characteristics and expectations of Chinese tourists is less well understood, particularly with regard to the environment.Will the Chinese tourist profile be affected, for instance, by the summer heat wave in 2022? Will the share of trains for domestic travel during the New Year's holidays increase in 2023 compared to 2019, even though this cannot be applied to their holidays in the world where they will continue to fly?
Whether or not the period between 2020 and 2022 specifically gave Chinese tourism a sustainable dimension will depend on how quickly international destinations adjusted to Chinese tourists' digital expectations between 2012 and 2019 and again between 2020 and 2022 (using WeChat or Weibo accounts, Chinese OTA campaigns, mobile payment, Chinese influencer campaigns, video, livestreaming, and e-commerce, as well as national stars with international influence).
Whether the 2023 New Year's domestic holidays reveal all the new facets of the profile or not, Chinese tourism (10.6% of international arrivals, 155 million arrivals and 15% of world tourism turnover, 250 billion $ in 2019), will once again become, (by 2025 for the most cautious), world source tourism. Some estimate that it could more than double in a near future. As such, it should, therefore, again influence (sustainably?) the trends of world tourism