Photo credit: Shutterstock
Bookings of domestic travel tours rose by double digits year-on-year this summer on Alibaba Group’s platform Fliggy, as Chinese tourists headed out to explore their country.
While major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen maintained their allure, a set of smaller and more niche destinations also gained popularity.
In Jingdezhen – dubbed the “City of Porcelain” for its ornate earthenware – convenient transportation and budget-friendly offerings proved as hot a draw for tourists as its ancient kilns, museums and art galleries.
Some travelers traded in the crowds of their hometowns for the acrobatic shows and archeological sites of Puyang. Still others basked in nature at Qinghai Lake, sampled tasty Sichuan cuisine in Deyang and admired the temples and pagodas of Shuozhou.
As they crisscrossed the country on their adventures, cars emerged as the transport of choice for many travelers—Fliggy’s domestic car rental bookings rose by more than 60% over the summer compared with last year.
Looking further afield, summer bookings to France, Egypt, Turkey and Serbia doubled year-on-year on Fliggy. Popular activities include cruises on Paris’ Seine River, boarding down sand dunes in Dahab and balloon rides in Cappadocia.
Many tourists planned their own itineraries, with self-guided activities accounting for over 80% of outbound travel bookings, according to platform data.
What would an afternoon look like for these independent travelers? After checking out nearby historical landmarks, they might grab coffee at a café trending among online influencers and take a stroll before dinner at a highly-rated restaurant.
Summer Fun, Guaranteed
As they set off near and far, nearly 1 million consumers benefited from Fliggy’s Summer Guarantee insurance service, according to the platform.
Widespread adoption of the initiative follows the launch of six measures to address common problems faced by travelers, including ticket refunds, hotel price changes and flight connections.
Participating consumers saved RMB224 ($31.5) on average in handling fee losses using the ticket refund service, while the domestic flight change feature helped recoup an average of RMB430 per affected traveler.
“To reduce potential losses, I directly booked the air ticket and hotel together on Fliggy,” said a Beijing-based tourist surnamed Li, who took a family vacation to Guizhou in July.
“Later, the flight was indeed delayed, and we successfully recovered the hotel room fee for that day.”
