People visit the historical and cultural block of Sanfangqixiang (Three Lanes and Seven Alleys) in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, July 11, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

The summer travel market has boosted consumption, and data shows that this summer's travel may hit a record high. 

Data from qunar.com sent to the Global Times said that as of Friday, the number of summer ticket bookings on the platform exceeded 20 percent of 2019, was twice that of 2020, and the average price paid exceeded 1,000 yuan. 

The number of hotel bookings for summer exceeded 30 percent of 2019, was three times that of 2020, and the average room rate also hit a three-year high, the data showed.

Online travel booking platform Ctrip predicted that orders for group tours and self-guided tours in summer this year have increased by more than 10 times compared with the same period in 2020, and orders for cross-provincial summer tours have increased by 413 percent year-on-year.

Tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the epidemic. Since last year, the tourism market has recovered steadily, providing strong support for China's consumption recovery. 

Market watchers said that although local COVID-19 disturbances have occurred from time to time, residents' willingness to travel has increased, and the tourism market has continued to increase in activity. This provides a good foundation for the accelerated recovery of consumption.

Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes or Caves of the Thousand Buddhas in Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu Province said that the current number of reservations has approached the upper limit and it strictly implements a control principle of 6,000 normal tickets per day. 

A member of staff at the Mogao Caves told the Global Times on Friday that the normal ticket booking for eight caves has sold out up to August 14. 

Airlines are also providing more planes for the travel peak. From July 11 to 19, China Southern Airlines said its flights from Shenzhen averaged 110, carrying more than 136,000 passengers, similar to the level before the epidemic.

Listed companies have also seen strong performance. On July 17, CYTS Tours Holding Co said it expected that its performance in the first half of this year will turn losses into profits year-on-year.

Regarding the recovery, the company stated that the macro environment has continued to pick up, the flow of personnel has gradually been liberalized, and consumption has recovered. 

Based on the data for the first half of this year, the momentum of consumption recovery has continued to increase, and the contribution of consumption expenditure to economic growth has reached 61.7 percent. Experts said with gradual recovery of consumer market confidence, consumption potential is expected to continue to be released, and its role in driving the economy will be further enhanced.

Global Times