Travel planner witnesses evolution of Chinese tourism market

XI'AN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- It takes Bai Fenglun nearly a week to plan a four-day itinerary for a family in Xi'an, a historic city in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

"The wheat foods of Shaanxi are famous, and you can also experience the process of making them," Bai told his clients on the phone while helping them plan their trip.

This work is entirely different from what Bai did as a group tour driver 13 years ago.

In 2010, his work routine began with waiting at a railway station, an airport or another location where tourists would arrive, and he would then take a group of more than 20 people on a one-day tour of popular scenic sites, such as Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum that houses the famous terracotta warriors and horses, Huaqing Palace, and Huashan Mountain.

At the time, China's domestic tourism sector was growing rapidly. According to official data, the number of domestic tourists in China increased by 12 percent annually from 2006 to 2010, and total tourism revenues increased by 15 percent every year. Despite the large number of tourists, there was low consumption in the market, which restricted further development.

Bai recalled that his business was good at the time, but tourism products and services were low-end and the market was chaotic, with many tourist complaints.

In 2016, he began a local guide business on the online travel agency Trip.com Group, serving small tour groups and making arrangements according to tourists' needs.

"The visit time at each tourist site is flexible -- a quick glance or an in-depth tour," Bai said.

Two years later, Bai's company received orders from dozens of tourist groups -- a significant improvement from the one or two orders received when the company was launched. Seeing the market prospects of personalized tourism, he turned his focus to the business of travel planning.

Gradually, Bai found that Chinese tourists preferred to have in-depth experiences. Developing experiential tourism products soon became an important part of his work.

In 2017, one of Bai's clients wanted his children to learn more about the production of the terracotta warriors, so Bai contacted a handicraft factory and arranged an experience for them. Later, he found that the factory had developed that experience into a regularly offered tourist activity.

"Such proactive transformation is becoming more and more common in the tourism sector," Bai said.

In response to changing tourist demands, the tourism industry continues to innovate its products and improve its services. Scenic sites in Xi'an, for example, have been attracting tourists for the past two years with traditional Chinese culture experiences.

According to a report released by the China Tourism Academy, the number of domestic tourists in 2023 is expected to hit 4.55 billion, a year-on-year increase of about 80 percent. Tourism revenues will total approximately 4 trillion yuan (about 561.1 billion U.S. dollars), up 95 percent from last year.

Speaking of his future plans, Bai said he is developing more tourism activities related to local life and intangible cultural heritage. "I believe the demand for small-scale and in-depth tours will continue to rise."