China’s travel industry expects ‘year of abundance’, but year of misfortune isn’t over yet
- Across China, many holiday travel plans have been cancelled as people fall ill or fear being exposed amid surge in Covid-19 infections
- But while would-be holidaymakers are currently too ‘sick or scared’ to travel, a boom is on the horizon, according to agents who long for the tourists to return
Seated in southern China’s tropical Hainan island, the resort destination of Sanya used to be one of the hottest tickets at this time of the year, as mainlanders flocked south to its relatively warm climate for a respite from the winter chill.
After a sluggish year with little business, local travel agents were briefly elated by a surge in orders when the country dropped its cross-provincial travel restrictions at the beginning of this month. But as increased mobility spawned a surge in coronavirus infections across the country, trip cancellations soon followed.
The occupancy rates at most luxurious hotels in Sanya have been less than 40 per cent in the two weeks leading up to Christmas – a far cry from when they were almost always fully booked around this time before the pandemic, according to Shen Qianyu, a travel agent from Sanya.
Across the country, streets and tourism sites in most cities have fallen relatively quiet. An immediate recovery in the travel market did not follow the removal of travel restrictions, and widespread outbreaks have forced many people to stay home to recuperate or simply limit their exposure.
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“But the pessimism right now is only short-term,” Shen said. “I believe that, in a month or two, the travel market in Hainan will resume its hustle and bustle seen in the old days.”
Despite the downturn, which is expected to last a few weeks as Covid-19 continues to spread, travel industry insiders are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel after the sector has been buffeted for three years by the country’s volatile travel restrictions and sporadic outbreaks under a restrictive zero-Covid policy.
Many are finally feeling assured and optimistic about the outlook and expect a boom in the coming months.
Nestled in southwest China’s highland plateau, Dali in Yunnan province used to be a popular attraction in the winter, as tourists flocked to watch black-headed gulls migrating from Siberia, or to simply enjoy a bit of sun in the winter.
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But even though domestic travel is no longer an issue, the small city is seeing a dearth of tourism as local infection numbers continue trending up.
Travel agents in Wenchang, another popular winter destination in Hainan, especially for snowbirds, are also reporting fewer tourists.
And the trend is extending to the nation’s coldest destinations as well. More than 3,000km (1,864 miles) north, in Baishan, Jilin province, where snowy resorts are usually fully booked this time of year, taxi drivers say they are seeing fewer fares.
Travel agents in Xiamen, an island city in southeast China’s Fujian province, also confirmed orders being cancelled recently as clients got sick, and their bookings are not being replaced with new ones in the new year.
“So far, our bookings have been worse than before the opening up, as many people are sick or scared,” said Alisa Li, a general manager with Honor Hotels & Resorts in Dali, who is herself recovering from the serious case of Covid-19.
It remains unclear whether the resort will see more orders next month for the Lunar New Year – a seven-day holiday in China that is traditionally a peak travel time. But Li remains hopeful that people’s desire to travel will return.
Nie Bin from Shenzhen, who offers group and individual tours of west China, is also waiting anxiously for normal travel to resume.
“Now most of the country is filled with people who have tested positive; people who haven’t gotten Covid are nervous and insecure,” Nie said, adding that discussions in his work chat groups have been less about work and more about who has tested positive and who has not.
“The year of misfortune will be followed by a year of abundance – this time it will be a complete return to normal, and the travel market will explode after three years,” he said.
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Guan Wenlu, COO of the Dear Voyage travel agency, said he has received no bookings until after the new year, and Christmas trips have all been cancelled due to the spread of Covid.
But after three years of on-and-off business, sentiment within the travel industry “is different this time – people know, this time is for real, and history will be made”, he said.
“Every time before this ... we became pessimistic and hopeless,” Guan said of previous coronavirus-induced business disruptions, “but this time hope is right in front of us.
“As soon as people are over Covid, a return to normal life will follow.”
