Tourexpi
The
COVID-19 pandemic held back travelers, but a global resurgence in tourism,
especially among younger people, is now evident, said the CEO of global travel
service provider Trip.com.
"We
see more enthusiastic populations trying to travel around the world, especially
young people who are keen on exploring new areas," Jane Sun told Anadolu.
She
stressed that a key trend is the growing interest in "long-tail"
destinations – lesser-known spots – that are becoming more accessible.
Sun
pointed out the potential of partnerships, particularly with public
transportation networks like Japan’s JR trains, to encourage travel to these
under-the-radar destinations.
"Taking
people not only to the most popular spots but also to long-tail areas is very
interesting to the new generation of travelers," she said.
Event-driven
travel, fueled by major concerts and global events like Taylor Swift’s tours,
is also booming, Sun stressed, noting that governments can capitalize on this
trend by investing in infrastructure to attract more visitors.
According
to her, across Trip.com’s platform, entertainment-plus-travel products grew by
70% in the past year.
Highlighting
that AI is a significant driver of productivity and customer satisfaction at
Trip.com, Sun said: "AI has enhanced our customer service, allowing our
call center to respond within 30 seconds. It also reduces coding time by 15% to
30% using tools like Copilot."
These
technological advancements are improving both efficiency and customer
experience, she added.
China’s
growing market
At
the 24th Global Summit, co-hosted by the World Travel & Tourism Council
(WTTC) and Western Australia, Sun recalled that before COVID-19, China was the
largest outbound travel market, representing 25% of global travel.
"Chinese
travelers made 155 million outbound trips and spent $255 billion. At that time,
only around 10% of China’s 1.4 billion population had passports," she
said.
Predicting
that the Chinese urban market is poised to become one of the largest in the
world again, Sun said Chinese travelers made 87 million outbound trips in 2023,
and the figure is expected to reach 130 million this year.
"Next
year, the figure is projected to rise even further. As of the second quarter of
2024, Trip.com has seen outbound hotel and air ticket bookings recover to more
than 100% of 2019 levels. Now Chinese travelers are back," she said.
Sun
pointed out three new trends, which she called the “three Es” –
entertainment-driven travel, eco-friendly travel, and elderly-friendly travel.
"People
are more focused on low-carbon travel," Sun said, adding that orders for
electric vehicles on Trip.com’s platform have doubled for outbound markets.
The
third trend, elderly-friendly travel, is another rising opportunity, she
stressed.
"By
next year, over 100 million senior travelers will travel more often and spend
more time,” Sun said, forecasting revenue from this demographic to exceed 1
trillion yuan ($141.6 billion).
Visa-free
travel could spark significant tourism boom
While
the growth opportunities are vast, Sun also highlighted three key challenges
the travel industry must address: visa access, flight availability, and service
quality.
Underlining
that Chinese travelers often book trips with short notice, she said visa-free
policies have helped destinations like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand grow
by up to 200% compared to 2019.
Sun
urged more countries to adopt long-term or visa-free entry for Chinese
travelers.
As
the world welcomes back Chinese travelers, Sun also pointed out that China
itself is opening its doors to international visitors, with inbound travel
seeing triple-digit growth thanks to partnerships and visa support.
Image
Credit: © AA
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