Summer Vacation Marketing Strategy: How Overseas Brands Can Seize Opportunities in the Tourism Market
Strong Demand for Summer and New Year Travel Among Chinese Outbound Tourists, with a YOY Growth of 1.6 Times
According to the "China Outbound Tourism Industry Development Report" the demand for outbound travel during the summer and New Year holidays is the highest. As of now, the number of registrations for outbound summer travel in 2024 matches that of the same period last year. With continued interest in visa-free short-haul destinations, the number of outbound tourists during the summer of 2024 is expected to increase by 100% compared to last year.
Data from Qunar shows that current outbound flight bookings for the summer (July 1 to August 31) have increased by 1.6 times year-on-year. The top ten popular international destinations for the summer are Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Canada. Some niche destinations have seen significant increases in flight bookings, including Iceland in Northern Europe, the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan), and Croatia.
Data source:
2023 China Outbound Tourism Industry Development Report
Family Travel Leading Group Tours
As the demand for outbound travel continues to rise, the spending levels of outbound tourists are quickly rebounding, with the demand for summer travel being particularly strong among parent-child and family groups.
According to Ctrip data, the volume of group tour bookings for outbound summer travel in 2023 increased by nearly 60% compared to the previous two months. Orders from parent-child families accounted for 52%, higher than the 46% for domestic parent-child group tours. Middle-aged and young adults with purchasing power make up the majority of group tour bookings, with 34% aged 41-50 and 33% aged 31-40.
The Secret of Family Travel Market: Winning the Hearts of Mothers
In choosing destinations, planning itineraries, and booking products, women often play a decisive role in family travel plans. Data from Fliggy shows that over 60% of travel vacation orders come from female users. The traditional "two adults and one child" model still dominates parent-child travel, accounting for 53%, but the proportion of "two-child" families traveling is rapidly increasing, while the percentage of intergenerational travel is significantly declining.
"Mothers" excel in preparing travel plans, arranging itineraries, booking products, and managing expenses. Their travel planning characteristics include:
1. Emphasis on scientific parenting concepts and the latest information
2. More rational spending
3. Attention to visa policies, destination safety, cost, and overall experience when deciding the travel destinations
4. Consideration of cost-effectiveness, brand reputation, service professionalism, and personalization when evaluating products
5. As children grow, the number of travel days, complexity, and spending amount also increase
Image source: Internet
New Types of Outbound Travel: Diversified Travel Experience
Traditional travel way can no longer satisfy consumer demands.
A new form of outbound travel combines different types of travel with local experiences like gourmet food and drinks, shopping (luxury/local specialties), beauty, medical tourism, concerts, sports events, and local cultural festivals.
These new types of travel offer not just a single travel experience but a fusion of entertainment, culture, and education. Examples include cultural exploration tours, technology experience tours, and ecological protection tours.
Just take K-beauty trip as an example. It is the hottest speedy travel going viral in supper APPs. Chinese travellers can follow the tour guide to experience a one-day beauty transformation process, including but not limited to color analysis, aesthetic medical treatments, makeup application, haircuts, styling, and photo shoots.
Data source: xiaohongshu(金煎妮）
Overall Marketing Strategy: Content-Driven and Precision Targeting
In the increasingly competitive tourism industry, how brands effectively reach and convert users throughout their travel journey is crucial.
A) Pre-trip Chinese Travellers:
1. Utilize social media platforms like Xiaohongshu for influencer and event marketing, converting them to private traffic and regularly engaging potential users.
2. Attract potential travelers through personalized recommendations and custom travel audience packages, such as users who have searched related keywords within 90 days.
3. Leveraging OTA platforms and travel marketing platforms to precisely target booked travelers, promoting brand awareness and optimizing materials to increase conversion rates.
B) In-trip Chinese Travellers/ In-town Oversea Chinese
1. Retargeting through OTA platforms, using Super APPs and DSP to cover users who have clicked ads and overseas traffic.
2. Maintain interaction with users through social media and real-time communication tools, offering support and value-added services, strengthening brand-user connections, and improving user experience.
C) Post-trip Chinese Travellers:
1. Encourage reviews on major platforms through incentive policies, enhancing brand reputation and achieving the goal of "seeding-conversion-reseeding.” (For more details, please read “Your Xiaohongshu Playbook - Global Branding & eCommerce Growth from 0 to 1”)
2. Continue engagement and lead them into private traffic, encouraging repeat consumption and loyalty, creating higher value for users, and reducing costs while increasing efficiency.
By implementing these strategies to reach and convert users throughout their travel journey, brands can better meet user needs, enhance influence, and achieve business growth. For the customised strategic planning, INFINIS team is happy to help!
Conclusion
The summer travel market is full of opportunities and challenges. Overseas brands can enhance user experience and brand value, achieving market growth and brand building through targeted marketing strategies. By deeply understanding user needs and innovating marketing methods, brands can offer richer travel experiences.