| A retired couple from Qingdao, Shandong province, on the roof of their motor home during a tour ofHainan province.[Photo by Liu Hailong/China Daily] |
More than 60 percent of domestic holidays being taken in China are now "self-drive", accordingto new research, prompting calls for an expansion of the country´s highway network and betterroadside hospitality facilities. ADVERTISING
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The study, which surveyed tourists at hotels and tourist attractions in 40 cities in Jiangsu,Zhejiang and Anhui provinces and in Shanghai, said that self-drive holidays contributed morethan 100 billion yuan ($15.68 billion) to those region´s tourism income, and 1 trillion yuannationally. "Some 300 million licensed drivers, and increasing numbers of private cars, have made self-drive touring part of their lifestyles, said Wang Zheng, the deputy head and a researcher atShanghai Academy of Social Sciences, which compiled the figures. More than 2.2 billion self-drive trips were made in 2014, said Wang. The research, jointly carried out by Xinhua News Agency´s Shanghai bureau, the ShanghaiAcademy of Social Sciences, and the Yangtze River Delta Self-Driving Tour Experts Committee,said that the cities of Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shanghai, Ningbo and Wuxi were the region´s mostpopular destinations, due to their rich tourism-friendly facilities, cultural heritage, quality servicesand popular local cuisine. Self-drive tourists are spending more than the average tourist per head: some 5,000 yuan peryear, according to the research. Five percent of the 120,000 tourists questioned said they spend in excess of 10,000 yuan onself-drive tours over the past 12 months. The increasing number of self-drive holidaymakers, meanwhile, has also pushed up demands oncatering and the quality of service at expressway services areas. Two-day trips were the most popular (a resounding 90 percent), with many saying they enjoyedstaying overnight at their destinations, according to data from tuniu.com, the online bookingplatform. "There are many incentives for choosing self-drive tours," said Zhang Zhiqiang, a 28-year-oldShanghai school teacher. "Sometimes I simply drive two hours from Shanghai to stay in Suzhou, to eat some localseasonal food, such as meat-stuffed moon cakes in autumn or crabs in early winter. "If there are any events going on such as art exhibitions, I may stay overnight for a day-tour－I´mpretty flexible," said Zhang, who said he spends an average 1,500 yuan on eating, admissiontickets to museums and shows, hotels, road tolls and gas during a typical trip. The rising demand for self-drive tours has also helped boost sales of Sport Utility Vehicles, saidmarket insiders. "It is obvious that SUVs are growing in popularity among Chinese car buyers," said ChangXiawei, the sales manager with a United States-based auto brand in Shanghai. | A parking lot for self-drive tourists near the Shennongjia Nature Reserve in Hubei province.[Photo/ChinaDaily] "SUVs have been replacing sedans as they can carry more people and more equipment, suchas tents, fishing rods and barbecue kits. |
"They can handle any terrain, too, such as muddy roads in the mountains." SUVs have accounted for around 30 percent of the growth in private car sales since 2014,according to data from Nomura International (Hong Kong) Ltd. ADVERTISING
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As a result, there has also been a rise in demand for tourist facilities aimed at self-drivingfamilies with children.
In Hangzhou, for instance, several hotels and resorts offer packages that include items such ashiking, fishing, riding and biking, admission tickets to shows and art performances, or lakecruises, as well as all food and board.
"Hotels and resorts are seeing more children staying than ever before. Self-driving makestraveling with children much easier, and these younger travelers nowadays are much more widelyexposed to the world than their parents," said Chen Gang, deputy head of Ningbo TourismBureau.
"The needs of children are often the most important consideration when families choose theirdestinations." The most confident self-drive tourists are also trying to explore the world by car, marking anotherhuge growth opportunity for tour operators. "We have seen a rising demand for overseas car-rental services, international driving licenseapplications and international car insurance," said Lin Aili, the manager of Shanghai LijiangTravel Ltd. "Although less than 1 percent of self-drive tourists are doing their driving overseas, I expect thosenumbers to surge, as that type of holiday gains popularity among increasingly well-traveledChinese tourists."
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