Summer travel getting cheaper, says agency

This summer, traveling abroad will be much more cost-efficient for travelers, with tickets pitched at better prices than last summer.

This is due to easier visa policies, increased flights and price competition between numerous travel agencies, according to a report by Ctrip.com, China's leading online travel agency.

Ctrip says that in previous years, traveling during summer holidays often cost 30 to 40 percent more than during the off-peak season. This year, the report says, the seasonal rise was about 10 to 20 percent, with increasing flight capacity and expanded tourist handling facilities at destinations.

During the summer holiday this year, a record 30 million Chinese mainland tourists are expected to travel overseas. It is estimated that their average spending while traveling will reach 7,000 yuan ($1,030; 920 euros; ￡804), up by 6.8 percent year-on-year.

In addition, 35 percent of outbound travel will last more than a week.

"The requirements of Chinese consumers are constantly growing, and they are willing to spend more on traveling," says Peng Liang, public relations director of the vacation department at Ctrip.

"More people choose to go to farther destinations, take longer trips and book more expensive hotels and travel services."

Ctrip says average spending is equivalent to the average monthly wage of urban residents in China. The report says that last year, average monthly salaries in China's large and medium-sized cities ranged from 6,000 yuan to 8,000 yuan, with the highest found in Beijing and Shanghai, at around 9,000 yuan.

Dai Bin, director of the China Tourism Academy, says that in the past tourists had limited experience of travel and it was easy for them to feel satisfied with services. Now, with Chinese people traveling much more frequently than before, they have much higher requirements.

The Ctrip report found that this summer, the most popular destinations include Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok and Singapore, and locations such as Phuket, Bali, Nha Trang and Long Beach.

Compared with last summer, tickets for traveling to Thailand, the United States, the Maldives and European countries have increased due to price hikes by local guides and other resources.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/23/2017 page29)