Latest news with #Fliggy
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's Dragon Boat Festival coincides with second holiday, fuelling boom in family tourism
An unusual convergence of the Dragon Boat Festival and Children's Day in China over the weekend led to a surge in domestic tourism bookings to campsites, amusement parks and other attractions, according to travel platforms. Advertisement Short-haul domestic travel bookings had grown 23 per cent year on year, according to travel platform latest figures. The trend was driven by 'summer escapes' with parent-child orders making up 35 per cent of overall bookings and 'family-friendly' hotel searches increasing by 45 per cent, a company spokeswoman said. Latest figures from Alibaba Group Holding's travel-booking platform Fliggy showed that, as of last Wednesday, bookings for theme park tickets had grown by more than 100 per cent over last year's Dragon Boat Festival weekend, while campsite bookings had shot up 80 per cent. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. Family hotel packages that include hotels, food and entertainment had risen by 24 per cent over the same period for 2024, the platform said, while activities such as suburban 'water fun' and picnics with children and pets 'are in high demand'. 'This year's holiday coincides with Children's Day, enhancing the appeal of family travel,' Fliggy said in a statement ahead of the May 31-June 2 break. Advertisement Domestic holiday travel in China has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic , with growing interest in scenery, cultural experiences and adventures – albeit with an eye towards saving money amid economic uncertainties. Chinese officials have looked to tourism as a driver of support for the nation's service sector.
Trade Arabia
11-05-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
ITB China, UN Tourism, Fliggy to promote rural tourism
ITB China, the premier B2B travel trade show focused on the Chinese market, is partnering with UN Tourism, Alibaba Philanthropy, and Fliggy's "Travel for Good" project to highlight "Tourism for Rural Development." The event will take place from May 27 to 29 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. The initiative aims to create an international platform to showcase rural tourism in China and build a dynamic bridge between Chinese rural destinations and global travel buyers. Rural tourism plays a vital role in driving sustainable economic growth and strengthening local communities. ITB China 2025 will focus on initiatives designed to support rural areas through tourism, including the UN Tourism "Best Tourism Villages" initiative, which promotes exemplary rural destinations from across the globe and China. Representatives from previously awarded villages will be invited to share their stories and demonstrate how they have successfully balanced community empowerment, cultural heritage preservation, and sustainable economic development. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UN Tourism said, 'Rural tourism is a vital driver for community empowerment and nature conservation worldwide. Through the Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism initiative, we recognise and support destinations that harness rural tourism as a force for good. These villages stand as global examples of how tourism can preserve cultural heritage, safeguard biodiversity, and enhance the quality of life for residents. We are proud to share this vision at ITB China and partner with them to showcase how rural tourism is shaping a more sustainable, inclusive future for rural communities around the world.' A dedicated forum titled "China Travel: Discovering Rural Beauty" will be hosted by UN Tourism, Alibaba Philanthropy, and Fliggy, offering high-level insights into the development of rural tourism in China. The forum will also feature discussions on the transformative role of tourism in rural development and panel discussions on revitalising rural tourism resources, driving digital transformation, and enhancing product marketing from a global perspective. The inbound tourism segment will be more diverse and wide-ranging than ever, with participation from Beijing, Hubei, Guangxi, Lahsa, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. Exhibitors include top travel operators such as China Tourism Group Travel Services, Hubei Best Tour, Guangxi Tourism Development Group, China International Travel Service Guilin , Spring Tour, Zhejiang EVERBRIGHT, and Guangdong China Travel Service, as well as key state-owned enterprises like Huangshan Tourism Group. Major hospitality brands will present China's evolving standards in international hospitality. The China Inbound Travel Forum will provide a global perspective on the Chinese travel market, focusing on fresh strategies for promoting Chinese destinations to overseas audiences. High-profile networking events will be planned to foster collaboration and celebrate local culture. -TradeArabia News Service
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fliggy 2025 Labor Day Travel Insights Show Solid YoY Increase in Per Capita Travel Expenditure
Bookings for customized, domestic tours soar over 80% YoY HANGZHOU, China, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Fliggy, a leading online travel services platform and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA and HKEX: 9988), has released insights into the 2025 Labor Day holiday travel trends, revealing a solid year-on-year (YoY) rise in per capita travel expenditure. This year, more travelers extended the standard five-day Labor Day holiday to eleven days by strategically utilizing additional leave days. Fliggy's data indicates a notable shift in return travel patterns, with peak return dates occurring later than those of the previous year, suggesting a marked increase in average trip duration. Demand for comfort and customized experiences Fliggy's data highlights a growing consumer preference for comfort and tailored itineraries, with customized tour bookings soaring over 80% YoY. This trend is particularly notable in established tourism destinations such as Beijing, Tibet, Shaanxi, Xinjiang, and Sichuan, where bookings for related products surged by an average of over 300% compared to last year. Small private group tours (5-10 people) were especially popular. Furthermore, bookings for four- to five-star hotels and luxury hotels through their flagship stores on Fliggy rose by over 20% compared to the same period last year, building on an already high base. Road trips continue to gain popularity, with domestic car rentals up 35% YoY. Cities like Pu'er (Yunnan), Jinhua (Zhejiang), Datong (Shanxi), Yili (Xinjiang), and Taizhou (Zhejiang) saw an average increase of 100% YoY in car rental bookings. The platform has also seen rising bookings for nature hotspots and destinations within a one- to two-hour drive from megacities. Megacities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Xi'an remain top choices. Meanwhile, off-the-beaten-path and long-haul destinations are gaining traction, with bookings for destinations of outstanding natural beauty such as Beitun (Xinjiang), Qamdo (Tibet), Golog (Qinghai), Nujiang (Yunnan), and Tunchang (Hainan) rising by an average of over 100% YoY. Travelers are increasingly prioritizing diverse and engaging experiences, favoring activities such as island getaways, rainforest trekking, desert camel rides, stargazing camps, and tea-mountain tours. This holiday season also saw notable demand for crowd-avoidance strategies, relaxation-focused vacations, and deep cultural immersion. Visa-friendly policies boost outbound travel Driven by the trend of expanding holidays through additional days off, coupled with visa-friendly policies, outbound travel has seen a sharp rise in per capita bookings, signaling a preference for longer, more immersive trips. Outbound bookings for flights, hotels, and cruises surged, with cruise bookings alone up over 60% YoY.
Korea Herald
06-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Fliggy 2025 Labor Day Travel Insights Show Solid YoY Increase in Per Capita Travel Expenditure
Bookings for customized, domestic tours soar over 80% YoY HANGZHOU, China, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Fliggy, a leading online travel services platform and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA and HKEX: 9988), has released insights into the 2025 Labor Day holiday travel trends, revealing a solid year-on-year (YoY) rise in per capita travel expenditure. This year, more travelers extended the standard five-day Labor Day holiday to eleven days by strategically utilizing additional leave days. Fliggy's data indicates a notable shift in return travel patterns, with peak return dates occurring later than those of the previous year, suggesting a marked increase in average trip duration. Demand for comfort and customized experiences Fliggy's data highlights a growing consumer preference for comfort and tailored itineraries, with customized tour bookings soaring over 80% YoY. This trend is particularly notable in established tourism destinations such as Beijing, Tibet, Shaanxi, Xinjiang, and Sichuan, where bookings for related products surged by an average of over 300% compared to last year. Small private group tours (5-10 people) were especially popular. Furthermore, bookings for four- to five-star hotels and luxury hotels through their flagship stores on Fliggy rose by over 20% compared to the same period last year, building on an already high base. Road trips continue to gain popularity, with domestic car rentals up 35% YoY. Cities like Pu'er (Yunnan), Jinhua (Zhejiang), Datong (Shanxi), Yili (Xinjiang), and Taizhou (Zhejiang) saw an average increase of 100% YoY in car rental bookings. The platform has also seen rising bookings for nature hotspots and destinations within a one- to two-hour drive from megacities. Megacities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Xi'an remain top choices. Meanwhile, off-the-beaten-path and long-haul destinations are gaining traction, with bookings for destinations of outstanding natural beauty such as Beitun (Xinjiang), Qamdo (Tibet), Golog (Qinghai), Nujiang (Yunnan), and Tunchang (Hainan) rising by an average of over 100% YoY. Travelers are increasingly prioritizing diverse and engaging experiences, favoring activities such as island getaways, rainforest trekking, desert camel rides, stargazing camps, and tea-mountain tours. This holiday season also saw notable demand for crowd-avoidance strategies, relaxation-focused vacations, and deep cultural immersion. Visa-friendly policies boost outbound travel Driven by the trend of expanding holidays through additional days off, coupled with visa-friendly policies, outbound travel has seen a sharp rise in per capita bookings, signaling a preference for longer, more immersive trips. Outbound bookings for flights, hotels, and cruises surged, with cruise bookings alone up over 60% YoY. Top outbound destinations include Japan, Hong Kong SAR, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, the U.S., and France. Emerging destinations such as Iceland, Hungary, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Norway also saw rapid growth, with bookings all up over 170% YoY. About Fliggy Fliggy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA and HKEX: 9988 (HKD Counter) and 89988 (RMB Counter)), and is one of the leading online travel platforms in China. Fliggy places a strong emphasis on innovation in its products and services, catering to the increasingly personalized and diversified needs of consumers in both China and overseas markets. Leveraging Fliggy's advantage as part of the Alibaba ecosystem, merchants can benefit from the vast user base within the Group. Fliggy also collaborates with partners through a full-service management format, helping more merchants, especially small and medium-sized ones, easily and efficiently share opportunities enabled by digitalization. Fliggy's long-term strategy is to promote the digital transformation of the tourism industry, using an open platform and mechanisms to help the industry make better use of digital business infrastructure for their operations.
South China Morning Post
05-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Are cheap 68 yuan tours for mainland visitors to Hong Kong good for the economy?
Low-budget tours to Hong Kong costing as little as 68 yuan (US$9.35) have been a popular option among mainland visitors over the Labour Day 'golden week' holiday, sparking concerns about how such minimal spending by tourists in the city would benefit the local economy. Advertisement A search by the Post on China's leading online travel booking platform Fliggy found that a one-day tour to Hong Kong for a group of 60 on May 6 further dropped to between 35.9 yuan and 39.9 yuan per person, including lunch. Fliggy is owned by Alibaba Group Holding , which also owns the South China Morning Post. The budget tours, which require participants to apply for their own travel visas, mainly target those visiting Hong Kong from Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Guangzhou. They cover eight major attractions in a single day. Tourists are asked to assemble at designated places at 8am, before they are taken to the Wong Tai Sin temple, the West Kowloon Cultural District's Art Park and the area outside the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the morning. Advertisement After the morning visits, tourists have lunch at a restaurant selected by the tour guides.
