Prices for package tours to China's hottest tourist destinations
have dropped by 30 to 50 percent following the Spring Festival,
giving tourists with flexible vacation time a golden opportunity
for spring travel.
China's tourism during the Spring Festival was greatly hindered
by the worst snowstorm in decades that swept through southern and
central China in January, forcing many scenic spots to close for
safety reasons.
The southern subtropical island of Hainan, unharmed by the
snowstorm and a traditional winter getaway, was the only jam-packed
tourist spot during the Spring Festival, with tour packages costing
as much as 6,000 yuan (830 US dollars).
Now that the Spring Festival holiday is over, prices for tour
packages to these tourist spots began to fall dramatically. The
price of the travel package to Hainan, for instance, has dropped by
50 percent. Packages to other tourist spots around the country have
also dropped by 30 to 50 percent.
Yangyang, manager of Spring International, a Shanghai-based
travel agency, said traveling will be fairly cheap from now through
the end of March, when a wave of flower-sighting tours drives
travel expenses to a new high.?
Since spring is the best season to see wildflowers, travel
agencies have seized the opportunity to drive business. Some
itineraries now include domestic destinations like Yunnan and
Jiangxi Provinces and foreign destinations such as Japan, Holland,
and South Korea.?
Insiders estimate that travel costs will continue to climb from
April through the end of 2008 with the two new three-day holidays
and students' summer holidays.
(CRI February 19, 2008)