Tuniu: 2014-2015 China College Students Travel Analysis Report

Tuniu Travel Network released the "Travel Analysis Report for Prospective College Students (2014-2015)", which analyzed the travel characteristics and development trends of prospective college students from the perspectives of travel destination selection, travel theme preferences, average travel product consumption, etc., and combined with the 2015 summer booking data.

On June 19, Tuniu Travel Network released the "Travel Analysis Report for Prospective College Students (2014-2015)", which analyzed the travel characteristics and development trends of prospective college students from the perspectives of travel destination selection, travel theme preferences, average travel product consumption, and combined with the 2015 summer booking data.

After finishing the intense preparation and the intense examination, the first thing many students think of is to relax before the college entrance examination results are announced, switching from the tense college entrance examination battle mode to a free and relaxed life mode. In addition to partying, singing, and playing online games, traveling has become a way for students in the "post-college entrance examination era" to seek physical and mental relaxation.

Girls love traveling more, and those born after 1995 have taken over mobile devices

According to Tuniu Travel Network’s monitoring data, the number of prospective college students traveling to relax their body and mind has been on the rise in recent years, with the number of prospective college students traveling in 2014 increasing by 185% compared to 2013. So far in 2015, the number of prospective college students traveling has increased by 428% compared to the same period in 2014.

From June 1st to 15th, the number of travel reservations by prospective college students aged 18-20 accounted for nearly 4% of the total number of travel trips. It is expected that after the college entrance examination results are released and they fill out their application forms, there will be a second round of travel peak for prospective college students.

Among prospective college students who choose to travel, the proportion of girls is significantly higher than that of boys. Compared with many boys who can stay at home for the entire summer vacation and play online games, girls are more willing to release themselves through travel. Among prospective college students who have booked summer travel, the ratio of girls to boys is close to 3:2.

When making travel plans, price, interest in attractions, allure of food, and interest in shopping items are the factors that prospective college students consider most.

With the rapid development of the Internet and mobile Internet, many prospective college students mainly obtain travel information through online travel websites and related apps. Travel agencies, recommendations from relatives and friends, various advertisements, books, movies and news are also important ways for them to obtain travel information. According to the monitoring data of Tuniu Travel Network, as the mobile Internet generation, prospective college students prefer mobile orders, and the proportion of mobile orders in 2014 was close to 30%. So far in 2015, the proportion of mobile orders by prospective college students has reached 80%, far exceeding the proportion of PC orders, which shows that the post-95 generation has fully occupied the mobile terminal.

Travel for prospective college students has become a "blue ocean" market

Who do prospective college students like to travel with? According to Tuniu Travel Network's monitoring data, the proportion of solo travel in 2014 was close to 12%, and so far this year, the proportion of solo travel for prospective college students has reached 48%. This shows that post-95 prospective college students love freedom and individuality more. In addition to traveling alone, prospective college students also travel with their families or with friends.

"More and more prospective college students choose to travel after the college entrance examination because parents feel that after the tense baptism of the college entrance examination, it is necessary to let their children go out and experience the customs and practices of various places, so as to relax, boost their spirits, broaden their horizons, and relieve the intense study pressure." A relevant person in charge of Tuniu Travel Network said.

For those prospective college students who choose to travel alone or in groups, when it comes to the "top priority" of travel expenses, half of them said they were willing to use their own savings (lucky money) to pay for it, while the other half chose to let their parents pay for it. According to the monitoring data of Tuniu Travel Network, the per capita tourism product consumption of prospective college students in 2014 was close to 2,500 yuan, and the consumption at the destination showed an upward trend. In 2015, the per capita tourism product consumption of prospective college students continued to grow.

With the growth of travel consumption by prospective college students, it is estimated that the graduation travel market is worth tens of billions of yuan, and this young group has become a blue ocean market that online travel companies are focusing on. To this end, Tuniu has launched a number of self-guided tours, group tours, cruises and other products suitable for prospective college students, ranging from tickets costing tens of yuan to outbound tours costing tens of thousands of yuan, all of which are favored by prospective college students.

From domestic to overseas, self-guided tours are preferred

"Only by seeing the world can you have a worldview" has become a common saying among those born in the 1990s and even the 1995s. According to the monitoring data of Tuniu Travel Network, prospective college students have chosen travel destinations ranging from local travel to overseas travel, and the proportion of overseas travel has been increasing year by year. Taking 2014 as an example, the ratio of prospective college students who chose domestic travel and overseas travel was close to 5:1. So far in 2015, the ratio of prospective college students who booked domestic travel and overseas travel has reached 4:1. According to the practice of previous years, with the arrival of the summer travel peak, the proportion of overseas travel will increase.

Among the students who choose "stress relief tour" and "study tour", the largest number of prospective college students come from Shanghai and Nanjing. Prospective college students in first-tier cities prefer outbound travel, while the popularity of outbound travel in second- and third-tier cities is also gradually increasing.

In terms of travel destination selection, the top ten most popular domestic destinations among prospective college students in 2014 were Fujian, Hainan, Yunnan, Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangxi, Sichuan, Shandong and Anhui; the top ten most popular outbound destinations were Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong and Macao, Bali, Phuket, Maldives, France, Italy and the United States.

According to current booking situation, the top ten most popular domestic destinations for prospective college students this year are Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Beijing, Sichuan and Jiangsu; and the top ten most popular outbound destinations are Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Macau, Bali, Maldives, France, Italy, the United States, Vietnam and Phuket.

Obviously, domestic destinations such as Fujian, Hainan, and Yunnan have always been popular. The sales of the "4-day Xiamen round-trip tour", "5-day Hainan Sanya tour", and "8-day Kunming-Dali-Shangri-La round-trip tour" offered by Tuniu are currently very good. In terms of outbound travel, Japan is the favorite country for prospective college students. There are not only Japanese anime they like, but also many higher education institutions to visit. In addition, Japan is at a moderate distance, the depreciation of the yen, the expansion of the scope of application of the consumption tax exemption system, and the good news about Japanese visas have also prompted more young people to choose Japan as their first destination for outbound travel. The "8-day Toyama-Osaka-Tokyo tour" offered by Tuniu is currently in hot sales and is popular among prospective college students and their parents.

In terms of theme selection, in order to relieve stress, water rafting, theme parks, mountain climbing and other tourism products are more popular among prospective college students. Some prospective college students will also choose to visit colleges and universities to experience college life in advance. Domestic attractions favored by prospective college students include Gulangyu Island, Jiuzhaigou, Lijiang Ancient Town, Wuzhen, Xitang, etc. Prospective college students who choose to travel abroad are more interested in overseas study tours in Europe and the United States and leisure tours in the sunshine and beaches of Southeast Asia.

In addition, prospective college students who value freedom and individuality are gradually abandoning group tours and prefer self-guided tours - arranging their own itineraries and purchasing hotels, air tickets, local tours and other travel products online. In order to adapt to this trend, Tuniu's "Local Fun" channel first covered popular tourist destinations in 53 countries around the world, with more than 10,000 online products and 21 major categories, including one-day tours, multi-day tours, theme parks, transportation connections, outdoor adventures, sightseeing buses, food, museums, exhibitions, etc.