Domestic tours get a boost as SE Asia hit
Print Edition
DOMESTIC tourism is the biggest gainer as local travelers shun popular destinations in Southeast Asia because of instability in the region.
Shanghai Datong Travel Agency said the number of tourists booking packages to the region for the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, which runs from May 31 to June 2, had dropped by as much as 50 percent.
The anti-China riots in Vietnam this month, the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 in March, the abduction of a Shanghai tourist from a Malaysian diving resort off Borneo by suspected Filipino insurgents in April and the ongoing political turmoil in Thailand have hurt tourism in the region, online travel operator Ctrip said.
Shanghai’s tourism authorities have also suspended tours to Vietnam after the deadly riots.
Ctrip said it was promoting other Asian destinations like Seoul and Jeju Island in South Korea and Japan with attractive discounts that are proving popular holiday destinations.
Taiwan is also another attractive destination for locals, Ctrip said.
Travel agencies also said there has been a jump in bookings for family trips with children as the holiday coincides with Children’s Day on June 1.
Neighboring provinces are the favored destinations. Short trips to Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces are preferred by parents as most of the children will sit for exams next month, Datong said.
Summer vacation
It is a good time to travel because tour prices will likely soar with the approaching summer vacation, said He Yiwei, Datong’s deputy general manager.
The number of family tourists rose about 15 percent this year with theme tours that incorporate DIY activities for kids proving popular.
Tours to amusement parks and self-drive trips to neighboring cities are other popular choices, Ctrip said.
Prices of popular itineraries like Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan Province, and Gulangyu in Xiamen, Fujian Province, rose slightly as it is the best time to visit there, Ctrip said.
Air tickets are cheap because late May and early June is slack season. Due to the popularity of a serialized documentary “A Bite of China II” about China’s food culture, tours about food are also proving popular, it said.
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