China has given one extra day of public holiday to Chinese New Year (January 28 to February 4) and one day to Labour Day (May 1 to 5), a move that is expected to result in a spike in family travel.
Sienna Parulis-Cook, director of marketing and communications, Dragon Trail International (DTI), described family travel as a “significant and high-value segment, while co-webinar presenter Liu Hongshi, general manager, International Culture and Educational Exchange Department, CTG Travel, noted those dates are “peak time for family travel”.
DTI research shows travellers with children under the age of 18 start planning outbound trips earlier, with 36 per cent starting two months in advance, and Chinese family travellers – who make up nearly half of the outbound market at Chinese New Year – will be organising those travel plans now.
According to Ctrip, the average consumption of family travellers during the 2024 National Day holiday was two times higher than overall travel market, Parulis-Cook shared.
“In terms of the impact of the extra days off, the Chinese New Year holiday offers a particularly good opportunity for an extended trip, including visiting destinations that are further away, and adding more destinations to an itinerary.”
Workers can take two days of annual leave to extend the eight-day holiday to 11 consecutive days off, five days to go on a 14-day trip and six days to be away for 16 days.
She noted most schools will be on holiday from sometime in mid-January until February 17, giving parents the opportunity to use their annual leave to have a really long trip together with their children.
“The May holiday won’t be so flexible since it’s a shorter public holiday and it doesn’t fall during an extended school holiday either. But the extra day off could make travellers more likely to consider an outbound trip,” added Parulis-Cook.
Liu named safety and health as the most important factor in family travel decisions, adding weather, culture, food, first-hand learning experiences, activities, good hotel facilities and a welcoming destination as other considerations.
