CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- As the New Year’s holiday comes to an end, an energetic 2021 officially kicks off. What new trends have emerged in the tourism market during the three-day holiday? According to Ctrip.com, the younger generation, consisting of the generation after 1990s and 2000s, has become the absolute mainstay of the New Year’s Day holiday trips, accounting for 73% of the total. Chongqing is ranked seventh in the country for destination city search.

Thematic trips are hotter this New Year’s Day holiday, with hot springs and skiing as the main forms of leisure play. There is a clear trend to escape the cold in the south and to enjoy the snow in the north. Sanya, where blue skies and white clouds reside, is favored by users across the country, while Harbin, with its snowy scenery, is heating up rapidly. Combining the search data of Ctrip users during New Year’s Day holiday, the top 10 cities were Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, Tianjin and Xi’an.

On New Year’s Day, the first day of the Gregorian Calendar, a number of visitors also chose to perform a blessing ritual to bring in good luck for the upcoming year. Some religious destinations made the list in the popular scenic search, with the top 10 on the list being Changbai Mountain, Laojun Mountain, Disney, Snow Town, Mount Emei, Chimelong, Mogan Mountain, Atlantis, Yalong Bay and Putuo Mountain.

Due to the demand for epidemic prevention and control as well as the impact of policies such as the non-implementation of free passage on motorways, short-distance and local tours remain the mainstream mode of travel during the New Year’s Day holiday this year, while users’ willingness to travel via high-speed rail has increased. The data shows that the top ten routes are: Shenzhen - Guangzhou, Guangzhou - Changsha, Shaoxing - Hangzhou, Shenzhen - Changsha, Heihe - Harbin, Chengdu - Chongqing, Hangzhou - Ningbo, Beijing - Zhangjiakou, Qiqihar - Harbin, Ningbo - Hangzhou.

It is interesting to note that during the holiday, “staycation” has become the mainstream holiday style, and for the younger generation who do not like to travel in groups or visit scenic areas, the prevailing staycation culture has become their favorite. Staycation means holiday at home. During the New Year’s Day holiday, young people slept until they woke up in luxury hotels costing thousands of yuan, watched TV and played on their mobile phones, turning their parents’ classic phrase of “all you do when you travel is sleep in a hotel” into reality. (Translated by Wang Huixin, Fathom Language Limited)