Resumed tours spark a flurry of bookings

A travel agency employee based in Shanghai said he cried upon hearing the news that interprovincial group tours had resumed, Nanfang Daily reported.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the resumption of interprovincial group tours on July 14, which had been suspended for nearly half a year since the outbreak of COVID-19.

The following day, online travel platform Tongcheng-Elong recorded the largest number of hotel room night bookings since the outbreak began, China.com.cn reported.

"Finally we can get out and have some fun after spending months indoors," a resident in South China's Guangdong province told local newspaper Nanfang Daily. She and her husband booked a group tour after interprovincial group travel resumed in the province.

Since Beijing lowered its emergency response from level II to III on July 20, hotels in many parts of China have seen a marked growth in bookings by guests from the city. A five-star hotel in Qinhuangdao, in North China's Hebei province, said it is fully booked for the weekend－mostly by families from Beijing, according to The Beijing News.

Hotels are changing their business strategies to adapt to the new situation. Many hotels have shifted their focus from traditional revenue streams such as conferences, business travelers and individual tourists to group tours, according to news portal Jschina.

Major hotel groups have also introduced parent-child bonding activities for the summer vacation. Banyan Tree Jiuzhaigou hotel, for example, is offering a wilderness adventure tour, The Beijing News reported.

The hotel is operated by Singapore-headquartered Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts.

"Kids have been cooped up at home for half a year," a hotel industry insider told the Beijing-based newspaper. "Those hotels with extra large rooms, beautiful natural surroundings and children's facilities have been particularly popular."

For all the excitement about the return of group travel, COVID-19 has made tourists more cautious. A recent survey conducted by a major travel agency in China showed tourists now care more about hotels' COVID-19 precautions than the cost of rooms, which previously came before services in their decision-making process, according to Jschina.

Xia Zifan, an expert on hotel brand management, said the tourism market during the summer vacation period may not be as strong as expected.

This is due to a shortened summer vacation and also, more importantly, some parents' being wary of taking their children on long-haul trips, Jschina quoted Xia as saying.

In response, hotels have introduced a slew of hygiene and safety programs to reassure guests and as well as their employees.

France-headquartered resort operator Club Med, for instance, has launched the SafeTogether initiative, which includes daily temperature checks for all guests and visitors upon arrival and before meals, according to its website.

Guest rooms, public areas, door handles, counters and handrails are sanitized frequently each day and food utensils go through a high-temperature dishwasher before being sanitized again, the company said.

Banyan Tree has launched a health and well-being program called the SafeSanctuary, which offers contactless services wherever possible.

Contactless check-in and checkout services are available. Digital options for convenient access via personal devices will replace the in-room directories and restaurant menus, according to the company's website.

Food and beverage offerings have also been revised for this period. Banyan Tree will be offering mainly a la carte orders and table setup will only be done upon guest arrival to avoid contamination.

Xu Jun, an executive at Banyan Tree Tengchong in Southwest China's Yunnan province, said: "Although the pandemic dealt a major blow to the hotel sector, the country is continuing on an upward trajectory economically and consumers' desire for a healthy lifestyle remains."

The pandemic has fueled consumer demand for healthy and quality trips, Xu added, according to Jschina.