Tourism market a step closer to robust recovery
春节黄金周 旅游市场迎来开门红
Tourism operators in China are in high spirits because the market saw a good chance of a robust recovery during the Spring Festival holiday amid relaxed COVID-19 travel policies.
中国的旅游经营者情绪高涨，因为在春节假期期间，随着新冠疫情相关旅游政策的放松，市场出现强劲复苏的迹象。
On Friday, the last day of the seven-day break, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism published an encouraging performance report of the tourism market. It said that domestic destinations and attractions received 308 million visits, up 23.1 percent year-on-year. The number is roughly 88.6 percent of that in 2019, the year before the pandemic hit.
上周五，也就是七天假期的最后一天，文化和旅游部发布了一份令人鼓舞的旅游市场报告称，今年春节假期全国国内旅游出游3.08亿人次，同比增长23.1%，恢复至疫情前2019年同期的88.6%。
Tourism-related revenue generated during the seven-day period was about 375.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year rise of 30 percent. The revenue was about 73 percent of that in 2019, the ministry said.
春节假期期间，实现国内旅游收入大约3758亿元，同比增长30%，恢复至2019年同期的73%。
Figures from travel agencies also show a surge in visits to domestic and overseas destinations. According to Trip.com Group, most people preferred long-distance travel instead of short trips during the holiday.
旅行社的数据也显示，国内外出游游客数量激增。根据携程的统计数据，在假期期间，大多数人更喜欢长途旅行而不是短途旅行。
The travel portal said that bookings for both domestic and overseas destinations saw a fourfold increase on the platform during the seven-day break, topping all holidays in the past three years. Bookings for overseas travel on the portal surged by 640 percent year-on-year.
携程平台上，春节期间国内外旅行订单皆迎来三年巅峰，旅游订单整体较虎年春节增长4倍。出境游整体订单同比增长640%。
Domestic destinations with mild climate or a heavy atmosphere of celebration, such as the coastal city Sanya in Hainan province and Beijing, were popular choices among travelers.
国内气候温和或庆典气氛浓厚的目的地在旅行者中很受欢迎，例如位于海南省的海滨城市三亚市和北京市。
Overseas travel saw a good start over the holiday. Online travel agency LY.com said that bookings for flight tickets to overseas destinations rose by 258 percent year-on-year on the platform. Those for inbound flights surged by 632 percent, it said.
出境游在春节假期迎来了一个良好的开端。在线旅行社同程旅行表示，2023年春节期间，出境机票预订量同比上涨258%，入境机票预订量同比上涨632%。
LY.com added that travelers preferred countries with friendly entry policies, such as Thailand and Cambodia.
同程旅行表示，游客更喜欢泰国和柬埔寨等入境政策友好的国家。
Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said that considering the recent numbers, the tourism market is returning to its normal pace. “Tourism operators and industry insiders showed an increasing sense of achievement during the Spring Festival holiday, as they raised their prospects and confidence of investments for this year.”
中国旅游研究院院长戴斌表示，考虑到最近的数据，旅游市场正在恢复正常节奏。“春节假期期间，旅游经营者和业内人士表现出越来越强的成就感，行业前景和投资信心全面增长。”
According to a survey by the academy, about 18.2 percent of surveyed companies saw their holiday revenues reaching over 80 percent of the same period back in 2019. About 49 percent of the surveyed companies saw their holiday revenue reaching 60 percent to 80 percent of the figure in 2019.
该研究院的一项调查显示，2023年春节假日期间，18.2%的旅游企业营收恢复到2019年同期8成以上。约49%的旅游企业表示，营收恢复到2019年数字的60%至80%。
Dai said the revenue generated during the Spring Festival holiday is a good start, but the tourism market won’t bounce back over one holiday after being hit for three years.
戴斌说，春节假期旅游企业营收上升是一个良好的开始，但在三年的行业不景气之后，旅游产业很难一个春节假期就满血复活。
“The market needs a longer time to recover. So it is important for government bodies in fiscal, financial, social security and tourism policymaking sectors to maintain stable growth of the market and improve satisfaction of travelers, thereby boosting confidence for investment,” he said.
“市场需要更长时间的休养生息。因此，保持旅游市场稳步增长、提升游客满意度和消费预期、释放更多的投资信心，仍然是财政、金融、社会保障和旅游产业政策的重要目标和关键指标。”
