Workers choosing staycations for maximum comfort close to home

Spending the forthcoming Spring Festival holiday in nearby hotels has become a trend this year, as local governments encourage people not to travel, according to China's largest online travel agency, Ctrip.

Top hotels for festival bookings this year are located in Shanghai, Sanya, Beijing, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Dali, Shenzhen and Chongqing, according to Ctrip.

The travel agency data suggest the spike in first-tier city hotel bookings is the result of people deciding to treat themselves to a local break rather than return to their hometown this year.

Hotels on the outskirts of cities have seen a particular rise in bookings. Resorts like Royal Tulip Zhujiajiao in the western suburb of Shanghai and Sofitel Sheshan Oriental Shanghai in the southwest of the city are among the 10 most popular hotels in terms of bookings for Spring Festival.

Wang Yunkai, 34, an engineer working at a manufacturer in Shanghai, would usually return to his hometown in Jiangxi province for Spring Festival. But this year, he plans to stay with his family in a hotel in Chongming district－the northernmost part of Shanghai－which will be "a memorable experience", he said.

The younger generation has played an important role in the "staycation" wave this Spring Festival, according to Ctrip data. As Ctrip has calculated, 58.79 percent of hotel reservations on its platform have been made by people born in the 1990s. Another 20.42 percent were made by those born in the 1980s. Consumers born in the 2000s accounted for 9.09 percent of all bookings.

While international travel has been restricted due to the pandemic, the potential of the domestic market is being explored, and there has been an emphasis on more luxurious experiences. Around 67 percent of the hotel reservations made on Ctrip for this year's Spring Festival are for four or five-star hotels.

In a Jan 9 State Council news conference, people were encouraged to spend Spring Festival at where they live this year to avoid an unnecessary flow of people around the country.

In response to the government advice, Ctrip came up with a number of packages to help keep people close to their workplaces during Lunar New Year.

Consumers who book hotels 14 days in advance can enjoy up to a 40 percent maximum discount. Ctrip members can also use their membership points to upgrade their rooms for free or to check out at a later time.