Expo boosts demand for tourism
The weeklong China International Import Expo boosted demand for tourism with Shanghai welcoming more guests from overseas. Meanwhile, more city residents have been making reservation for out-of-town trips, said online tourism agencies.
Shanghai has also become one of top destinations for domestic travelers, said Shanghai-based Ctrip, which has just become the world’s top online travel agency.
On November 5, first day of the CIIE, online reservations for Shanghai destinations surged 87 percent year-on-year, according to Ctrip.
During the event, reservations by Shanghai residents surged about 50 percent year-on-year. Though November is not the peak season for travel, they were keen to take advantage of the CIIE holiday, with favorite destinations including Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Wuxi, according to Tujia, an online accommodation provider.
In the 12 months to September 30, Ctrip’s trade volume reached 690 billion yuan (US$100 billion), making it the world’s top online tourism agency by trade volume, ahead of Expedia’s US$97.6 billion and Booking’s US$91.2 billion. In the third quarter, Ctrip’s revenue is expected to reach 9.4 billion yuan, a 15 percent growth year-on-year.
Meanwhile, tourists seem willing to spend more of their time in Shanghai. More than 60 percent of tourists stay for four days or more in the city. This year so far they have spent 2,171 yuan on average in Shanghai, a 12 percent growth compared to 2017, according to Ctrip.
Average spending by tourists when they stay in Shanghai.
