“Traveller interests have evolved from traditional sightseeing to experiential tourism”
Trip.com Group Chief Operating Officer highlights the importance of experiential travel for both inbound and outbound tourism
Mr Xing Xiong, the Chief Operating Officer of Trip.com Group, gave an opening keynote yesterday on “Insights into the 2024 Civil Aviation Market”. ITB China News spoke with him in an exclusive interview about travel trends in China and how Trip.com Group is adapting its offer to meet the evolving market.
Can you share what you believe to be some of the main travel trends in China at the moment (e.g. domestic, inbound and outbound)?
Domestic travel is experiencing robust growth, which is evident from an increase in both hotel and flight bookings, each surging by over 20% year-on-year. (Source: Q1 2024 Earnings Release). The recent Labour Day Holiday saw a surge in domestic travel, attributed to enhanced high-speed rail infrastructure that provides direct access to lesser-known cities and county-level destinations. County-level destinations and smaller towns are particularly gaining traction, witnessing a 30% increase in travel orders, and exceeding the growth rate of larger cities, while domestic tourists are keen to get close to nature – bookings for attractions related to camping and mountain climbing grew significantly in the past Qingming and Labour Day holidays. Travellers’ interests, especially the younger generation, have evolved from traditional sightseeing to experiential tourism, not only in China but also around the world. Entertainment events such as concerts, music festivals, sports games, and cultural events have been a strong driver of travel bookings in China.
Entertainment events such as concerts, music festivals, sports games, and cultural events have been a strong driver of travel bookings in China.
There has been significant growth in inbound travel bookings to China (an increase of over 400% compared to last year) driven by the benefits of visa-free policies(Source: Q1 2024 Earnings Release). The 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy also allows foreign nationals from 54 countries to explore more of China before going on their next connecting flights. Major cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Chengdu are emerging as significant hubs, attracting considerable international interest.
Outbound travel is also witnessing growth, with both hotel and flight bookings soaring by over 100% year-on-year. (Source: Q1 2024 Earnings Release) The younger generation is emerging as a significant segment of outbound travellers, although post-80s and post-90s generations still account for more than half of outbound travellers. In terms of destinations, the Asia-Pacific region remains highly popular, with Japan, Thailand, and Korea being top choices.
How is Trip.com Group adapting its offer according to these trends?
In response to the trend of experiential travel, Trip.com Group has taken advantage of its all-in-one app to offer bundle packages that combine tickets and experiences with hotel stays. This past April, for example, we offered bundled products for JJ Lin’s concert in Tianjin, which included concert tickets, hotel stays with breakfasts and transfers to and from the stadium.
On an international scale, Trip.com has also introduced the “Hotel Room Plus X” package, which combines a hotel room booking with a personalised activity, allowing travellers to immerse themselves in the local culture through locally-inspired activities. The “Activities + Tickets”, a similar package, has seen an exponential jump in orders.
In response to the growth of inbound tourism and transits, Trip.com has launched the “Shanghai Express”, free half-day layover tours for transit visitors in Shanghai, who can now take the opportunity to explore iconic areas such as The Bund during their transits.
By leveraging advanced technology, our powerful AI-powered travel assistant, TripGenie, is able to curate personalised itineraries for Chinese and international travellers and provides trendy recommendations, enhancing a seamless travel experience from start to end.
The increasing importance of AI for the travel industry
Mr Xing Xiong outlined the important role that travel technology plays in the industry, discussing how it will continue to develop and evolve over the next few years. He mentioned that AI “will play a bigger role in enhancing people’s travel experience” and added that while AI chatbots are already prevalent, Trip.com Group foresees “a broader spectrum where AI extends its influence across diverse travel scenarios.”
Trip.com Group’s Chief Operating Officer emphasised that AI enhances engagement and drives conversions, citing that thanks to Trip.com Group’s AI-powered travel assistant TripGenie, the company has “seen a doubled order conversion rate and improved user retention rates, resulting in enhanced overall service effectiveness.” He also stated that AI facilitates customer service with its ability to “seamlessly respond to text and voice commands.” TripGenie for example enhances customer service experience by displaying accurate images, providing relevant booking links, and quickly directing users to the most relevant and accurate results in the app. Mr Xing Xiong added that “with the help of AI chatbots in answering customer queries, Trip.com Group has been able to achieve remarkable self-service resolution rates.”
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“游客兴趣的演变：从传统观光到体验式旅游”
携程集团首席运营官熊星表示，体验式旅游对入境和出境旅游都至关重要
携程集团首席运营官熊星先生昨日发表了题为“2024年民航市场洞察”的开幕演讲，并接受ITB China新闻的独家专访，介绍了中国旅游行业的最新趋势，以及携程集团如何调整以适应不断变化的市场需求。
问：您认为目前中国旅游市场有哪些主要趋势？（例如国内旅游、入境旅游和出境旅游）
国内旅游正在强势增长，反映在酒店和机票预订量的同比增长超过20%（来源：2024年第一季度财报）。最近的五一劳动节假期，国内旅游需求激增，归功于高铁基础设施的完善，让游客直接通达更多不为人知的城市和县级目的地。县级目的地和小城镇特别受到欢迎，旅游订单增加了30%，增长率超过了大城市。同时，国内游客热衷于亲近自然——清明节和劳动节假期期间，露营和登山等相关景点的预订量显著增长。游客的兴趣，尤其是年轻一代，已从传统的观光转向体验式旅游，不仅在中国如此，在全球也是同样的趋势。文娱活动如演唱会、音乐节、体育赛事和文化活动已成为中国旅游预订的强大驱动力。
文娱活动如演唱会、音乐节、体育赛事和文化活动正成为中国旅游预订的强大驱动力。
此外，得益于免签政策的实施，入境旅游预订量增长显著，同比增加超过400%（来源：2024年第一季度财报）。72小时和144小时的免签过境政策还允许来自54个国家的外国游客在乘坐下一段转机航班之前，能够有更多时间探索中国。上海、广州、北京、深圳和成都等主要城市正迅速成为重要的旅游中心，吸引了大量国际游客。
同时，出境旅游也在增长，酒店和机票预订量同比增长超过100%（来源：2024年第一季度财报）。尽管80后和90后仍占出境游客的一半以上，但更年轻的一代正成为出境旅游的重要群体。在目的地方面，亚太地区仍然非常受欢迎，日本、泰国和韩国是热门选择。
问：携程集团如何根据这些趋势调整其产品策略？
为响应体验式旅游的趋势，携程集团利用其一站式应用程序提供套餐类产品，将门票和体验与酒店住宿相结合。例如，今年四月，我们推出了林俊杰天津演唱会的套餐产品，包括演唱会门票、酒店住宿、早餐以及往返体育场的接送服务。
在国际范围，携程还推出了“酒+X”活动，将酒店预订与个性化活动相结合，让游客通过本地活动深入体验当地文化。类似打包产品“活动+门票”的订单量也大幅增长。
为应对入境旅游和中转旅客的增长，携程推出了“入境游客专享免费上海半日游”，为在上海中转的旅客提供免费的半日游，让他们在中转期间有机会探索外滩等地标区域。
通过利用先进的人工智能技术，我们强大的AI旅行助手携程问道能够为中国和国际游客策划个性化行程，并提供旅行潮流推荐，从而打造“出行前中后全场景”的流畅旅行体验。
专栏：AI在旅游业中的重要性日益增加
熊星先生表示，科技是决定旅游业未来发展的关键，并对未来几年的发展演变做出预判。他认为AI“将在提升游客旅行体验方面发挥更大的作用”，除了已经普及的AI聊天机器人，携程集团预计“AI将在更多的旅行场景中扩展其影响力”。
携程集团的首席运营官熊星强调，AI在用户的参与度和转化率方面作用显著，携程集团的AI旅行助手携程问道，带动公司“订单转化率翻了一倍，用户留存率提升，整体服务效率也大大提高”。他还表示，AI能够通过“响应文本和语音指令”来促进客户服务。例如，携程问道能通过展示准确的图像，提供相关的预订链接，并快速引导用户至应用程序中最相关和最准确的结果，从而提升整体客户服务体验。熊星先生补充道，“在AI聊天机器人辅助解答客户疑问方面，携程集团的自助服务率也得到了提升。”
