Source:
https://scmp.com/article/726123/inside-track

On the inside track

Beijing-based wine executive Guan Qun often travels abroad for work and has holidayed in France, the Philippines, the Maldives and Japan. But his ambition is to explore China's cultural and natural heritage, particularly the wilder reaches of Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu, Xinjiang and Yunnan.

'We're hoping to make a trip to Tibet next year; it's best to go to the tough places when you are younger,' says Guan, 36, who regularly heads off to remote or offbeat destinations with his wife Wu Qian, a television producer.

'There are so many places to see in China and we want to explore more and more; it's something my parents' generation could not do.

'One of my favourite holidays was a driving trip around Shandong province,' he recalls. 'We have also been to Inner Mongolia, to the grasslands. I loved the horse riding, the outdoor life and the chance to stay in a yurt. I particularly like visiting Yunnan; it has such a slow pace of life, talking to local people and spending time in a typical tea-house. It is great for a relaxing holiday when you work in the city.'

Once a luxury for the privileged few, leisure travel is now part of life for tens of millions of mainlanders. And many, like Guan, are seizing the opportunity to get to know their homeland better. The rich history and cultural heritage as well as diversity and sheer size give plenty of choice, whatever their age and income bracket. For some, not having to negotiate cultural and language barriers means fewer hassles on holiday, but shrewd travellers are also seeking more authentic experiences instead of whirlwind tours.

'It takes a lot more time to plan a trip overseas and also costs more money,' Shanghai building contractor Lu Bin, 45, says. 'Language and cultural difference can be major problems for me.'

He and his wife Song Qi, 38, prefer domestic travel, making short trips almost every month to nearby Jiangsu and Zhejiang. 'We can leave on Friday night and come back on Sunday,' says Song, an art teacher.

The couple usually avoid tourist hot spots such as Nanjing or Hangzhou, and instead explore little-known villages, putting up at farmers' homes and sampling the rustic fare. It makes for a relaxing and interesting getaway.

'You can see pictures and videos online of almost any popular tourist attraction worldwide, so we have fewer incentives to actually go and see,' Song says. 'Unless you have friends who can take you to the local hangouts, you will just return with plenty of postcard-style photos.'

Mainlanders are on the move like never before: the National Tourism Administration says domestic tourism generates an annual revenue of one trillion yuan (HK$1.16 trillion) and it's growing by 13 per cent a year. Many are seeing, for the first time, wonders only previously viewed on television. In Shanghai and Beijing, neophyte travellers might marvel at big-city sights such as giant outdoor plasma screens and Porsche-driving businesswomen. However, with more than 30 Unesco world heritage sites located on the mainland, there is a lot for more sophisticated tourists to explore too.

'The locals themselves have not even seen these places,' says Henrietta Ho, executive assistant manager for the Hyatt on the Bund in Shanghai. Ho reckons the World Expo has also opened the eyes of many to what they have missed within the country and overseas. Improved air and rail links and more disposable income make it even easier to get around.

Home-grown online travel agencies, Ctrip and eLong, are among the beneficiaries of this trend. They also got a boost when the government unveiled guidelines in December to develop tourism, for example, by simplifying approval procedures for travel enterprises and encouraging local authorities to attract overseas investment.

Retirees and small-town folks typically sign up for tours that allow them to explore other places at affordable prices. Beijing-based travel agent Zhang Mei is amazed at how little her father paid for a two-week package that took him round much of the western region by chartered train. 'He paid about 2,500 yuan for a 15-day journey on the train from Kunming all the way to Chengdu and up to Turpan, Urumqi and back via Xian.'

Zhang's tour company, Wild China, operates at the other end of the scale, charging rich clients up to 10,000 yuan a day for specialised itineraries. But many don't mind cheap deals, she says.

'The trips are well organised, so they don't have to worry. They stay at hotels that cost maybe 50 kuai [yuan] and get dragged into commission shops every day.

'It takes many travel companies to sell [the tours] - it is amazing distribution power to bring all these people together; they are not easy clients. The operators work on very thin margins.'

Bare-bones travel isn't for those who have developed a taste for the finer things in life - the nouveau riche entrepreneurs and executives with international firms. Hoteliers in major cities are courting this luxury-loving segment. Indeed, locals make up half the business of international hotel chains on the mainland and the percentage is rising. The new Raffles Tianjin, for example, works closely with Ctrip and eLong, along with the traditional media, to draw higher-end tourists.

'If they have money, they often want the best accommodation available as well as the best food and wines,' Raffles Tianjin general manager Gilbert Madhavan says.

'Coming to a hotel is no longer just for a special occasion; locals are quite comfortable walking into hotels to dine. Money is not always the determining factor but they like to be treated well.'

Some young travellers, however, are in search of depth of experience rather than luxury. Xu Jingyi, a Shanghai university student, has visited Europe and Australia with her family. But this year the 20-year-old began making trips with people she had befriended online, travelling with so-called Lu You (literally, donkey buddies) to Jiangsu as well as farther afield to Xinjiang and Gansu. 'I was often amazed by the ordinary people I met,' Xu says, recalling the kindness she received on the road and conversations around a campfire in a remote Jiangxi settlement with villagers. 'It's nothing like our city life.'

It's a way to broaden the mind and learn about her country. 'China has the most breathtaking natural scenery I've ever seen. It surpasses all that I've seen overseas,' she says. 'Even though we are all Chinese, people of different ethnicities can be so different ... Travelling isn't just about shopping or good food. It's the experience that matters.'

Additional reporting by Vivian Chen