Oct 26, 2020|
Chinese Consumers Rush to the Ticket Counter as COVID-19 Fades
by Ella Kidron
The travel momentum that was observed around the National Day holiday (October 1-8th) has shown no signs of slowing down. Sales of travel products increased 2135% in the first hour on October 22nd, the Super Category Day for JD Travel, and the kick off of the pre-sales for JD’s 22-day Singles Day (November 11th) promotion period. Hotel sales on the day also saw a 2176% increase year-on-year.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of visits to attractions in China during the holiday period reached 637 million, about 81% of the 782 million visits recorded during the holiday in 2019, an impressive bounce back that helped travel companies in their recovery following a lull at the height of the pandemic.
On the Super Category Day 67% of hotel orders were for high-end hotels. The Shanghai Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental, the Sanya Yalong Bay Hilton and the Sofitel Legend Peoples Grand Hotel Xian were among the top hotels booked. Flight tickets increased 175% YOY, among which individual travel orders (meaning not part of tours) increased 137%. China United Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and Qingdao Airlines are among the airlines providing special flight products for the Super Brand Day. Qingdao Airlines’ couple, three person packages all sold out within 22 minutes of launch, setting a new sales record.
As far as travel destinations are concerned, Sanya, Qingdao, Xiamen and other seaside destinations were in high demand, with orders increasing five times YOY. Sichuan and Yunnan and other spots popular for their cultural experiences saw an eight-time increase.
JD’s good deals on travel during the Singles Day sales period are helping consumers pull the trigger faster. Data shows that 29% of orders were completed within one minute. Additionally 63% of consumers were able to get their hands on various flash sales products.
Super Category Days are one-day shopping events designated to special discounts in a particular category. JD also holds Super Brand Days as well as other “Super” promotions throughout the year. JD Travel has much more in store for Singles Day, with this Super Category Day just being the start of festivities. On October 28th, Lei Xu, JD Retail CEO and James Jianzhang Liang, co-founder and executive chairman of Trip.com, will jointly host a livestream event.