CHINA. Travel data analyst ForwardKeys has released data that underlines the continuing strength of travel demand to Sanya and Haikou in Hainan, and recovery in Macau.
From March to May this year, both Haikou and Sanya recorded healthy growth in air arrivals when compared to the same period in 2019. May saw the largest increase, thanks to the Labour Day holiday with Haikou up by +39% and Sanya +49%.
All tickets issued as of 7 June for travel to Sanya during June and August are currently +33.2% ahead, while to Haikou they are currently -6.4% behind the same period in 2019.
Of the main source markets, Shanghai is the top origin city for Hainan in the period to 31 August, with bookings increasing +154% to Sanya and +60% to Haikou. Beijing to Sanya has increased by +82% in forward bookings, and those to Haikou remain the same as in 2019. Passenger bookings from Zhejiang to Sanya and Haikou have maintained double-digit growth.
The decrease in the number of bookings from Guangdong due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases has had a greater impact on Haikou than Sanya, noted ForwardKeys.
50% of the arrivals in Haikou are from Chengdu and 46% are from Wuhan – which the analyst said demonstrates high demand among travellers from the central cities for Haikou compared to Sanya.
Longer stays in Macau
ForwardKeys also presented data that reinforced the picture of recovery in Macau, with visitors making longer stays in 2021.
“People used to visit both [Hong Kong and Macau], say, for a five-day holiday. But in the pandemic era, due to safety concerns and travel restrictions, people are choosing just one single destination, and enjoying that experience at a slower pace,” said Nan Dai, China Market Expert at ForwardKeys.
During the first five months of 2021, the share of travellers staying at a destination for 3-5 nights has increased significantly, by +32% when compared to 2019. Meanwhile, there was a -30% drop in the share of one to two-night stays.
Issued tickets have been trending upward since Macau reopened for travel from Mainland China on 23 February. In the first week of June, tickets for travel to Macau reached 48% of 2019 levels.
Among the top source markets, Chengdu and Nanjing have recovered relatively quickly, reaching 60% to 70% of their pre-pandemic levels already.
Note: Every fortnight The Moodie Davitt Report publishes Hainan Curated, in association with Foreo, a selection of all recent stories from the offshore duty free sector in Hainan province.
Click here to view all back issues. Please email Sinead@MoodieDavittReport.com to subscribe.
