DIY Travel Favored by Young Chinese

There is a continuous growth in the number of travelers who are wishing for a self-guided trip worldwide with their trip plan customized by themselves. The data predicts a 38% rise in travelers saying bye-bye to traditional travel packages, according to TripHobo. DIY travel has been a trend in global travel industry, as well as in China.

Only until a few years ago, most travelers from China were more willing to have group tours, with already reserved flights and buses and traveling together with at least a dozen of other tourists. They are navigated around based on a strict schedule by a guide with a flag and loudspeaker.

However, China’s younger generations, with their growing incomes and fewer travel restrictions, are quickly shifting their preference to DIY travel, which offers more flexibility and freedom than group tours. Therefore, Chinese DIY travelers have emerged as a powerful and influential target audience, spending a lot in cities and attractions. Chinese DIY travelers now have the world at their fingertips like never before, thanks to a weaker euro, easier and longer American visas, cheaper flights throughout East and Southeast Asia.

Along with the growth of DIY travel demand, a flood of online travel agencies (OTAs) are looking to cater to a digitally savvy, youthful group. China’s DIY travel market is already very hot and now almost trending towards oversaturation. However, this is more of a ‘quantity’ oversaturation, rather than a ‘quality’ saturation. Although a lot of companies out there are providing such kind of travel services, but they are far from meeting the needs of consumers.

While cultural experience tour was very popular among 21-30 years old DIY travelers, Chinese DIY travelers’ first choices are natural scenic tour and sea island tour for its high travel standardization, clear routes, and the convenience of buying the tourism products. What DIY travelers’ concerned most are local activities, budget and attractions. Moreover, they prefer to know the details on traffic information, local activities and flexible itineraries.

Though a large proportion of Chinese DIY travelers would choose National Day holiday and annual leave to go on the trip because of the longer vocations, off-peak travel is still favored by many DIY travelers.

When Chinese DIY travelers are trying to obtain travel information, OTA is a main platform for them. According to Analysys, 33.42% of Chinese DIY travelers would book air tickets and hotel via online channels. And nearly 80% of DIY travelers would like to share their travel experience online during or after the trip. WeChat, among all the social media platforms, was most widely used by travelers to share their travel moments.