CHINA. In recent years, a rising number of Chinese families have opted to travel during Chinese New Year. A Jing Daily report highlights ways to reach these travellers in 2018.
Focus on family travel
Due to the one child policy in China many families have become much smaller, making Chinese New Year less exciting to spend at home, says Jing Daily.
Many young people are now taking advantage of the longest national holiday of the year and taking their entire family away. During Chinese New Year 2016, 56% of young luxury travellers journeyed abroad, 90% of whom travelled with family or friends.
Climate and convenience
Jing Daily noted several factors that travellers will take into consideration during the Chinese New Year.
The length of holiday, anywhere from seven to ten days, will have a significant impact on whether travellers will choose a long-haul, short-haul or domestic destination. Each year the length of the holiday varies depending on what day it falls on in the lunar calendar. Last year the holiday was ten days long resulting in 6.15 million people deciding to travel overseas.
Given that the holiday falls in the middle of winter, many people opt for warmer locations in the south of China, Hong Kong or Southeast Asia. Popular long-haul destinations are Australia and the USA. In recent years, a growing number of Chinese travellers have visited countries such as the UAE and Morocco due to relaxed visa requirements.
According to Jing Daily, the most important thing when travelling with family is convenience. “Because young couples will have to take care of both their parents and their children, they want to choose somewhere that is easy to reach (ideally a direct flight) and has family-friendly accommodation and activities.”
Packages and promotions
Destinations all over the world are offering specially designed Chinese New Year packages and discounts.
Last Chinese New Year, Travel San Francisco ran a campaign targeting holiday travellers that included promotions through Chinese online travel agency Ctrip. They also inspired consumers to visit by live streaming about interesting neighbourhoods, cafes and sites throughout the city. World-famous hotels including the Burj Al Arab in Dubai offered Chinese travellers exclusive holiday rates.
This coming Chinese New Year, as part of the Beverly Hills Chinese New Year celebration, several high-end hotels such as The Beverly Hilton, Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills will offer special packages throughout February. They include discounted rates and customised amenities such as a hot water kettle with Chinese tea and in-room Chinese breakfast dining options.
At the upper end of the scale, Raffles Hainan is offering a CNY1.3 million (US$197,000) luxury Chinese New Year experience. This includes dinner served in the presidential villa’s private dining room and a private party on a yacht for a group of up to eight people.
Get the basics right
Jing Daily emphasises that hotels and resorts looking to attract Chinese families during Chinese New Year need to keep several things in mind:
- Provide families with adjacent rooms that have connecting doors or a suite with multiple bedrooms
- Make sure some Chinese breakfast options are available. Children and elderly Chinese travellers tend to be more conservative with their food choices
- Provide a wide variety of activities for all ages; all-inclusive beach and ski resorts are becoming increasingly popular
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*This article was originally published by the much-respected JING DAILY, a Moodie Davitt Report content partner.
