Elderly make beeline for niche destinations

More flights

Airlines are launching more flights to Southeast Asia to satisfy the growing travel demand.

Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines launched its first direct flight — an Airbus A321 aircraft — connecting Beijing Daxing International Airport and Singapore on March 7.

The route, three times a week initially, will turn into daily trips from March 31. Following the launch of the new route, China Southern now operates 45 weekly flights between China and Singapore. The carrier said it will continue to increase its international flight capacity by launching and resuming more international flights.

In January, China and Thailand signed an agreement on permanent mutual visa exemption, which became effective on March 1. Earlier, the visa exemption policy between the two countries had been temporary.

Now, a one-way flight ticket to Bangkok from domestic cities such as Shanghai; Guangzhou, Guangdong province; and Chengdu, Sichuan province all carry price tags of around 600 yuan ($83) each. Flights departing between 6 am and 9 am are popular among this set, given the cheaper prices, Qunar said.

This year, Thailand will hold various events across the country to celebrate Songkran, the world's largest water festival, with a total of 21 days of celebration and revelry from April 1 to 21.

"Fun and interesting festivals are becoming a benchmark for tourism, and featured activities will help drive local consumption," Xiao said.

In China, the period between April 13 and 15 is better known as the water splashing festival and is also the New Year period for the Dai ethnic minority, when people splash water on each other to send and receive blessings.

Many travelers have booked their flights to Xishuang Banna Dai autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province in advance, and the booking volume has doubled compared to the same period of 2023.

This year, there are more flights from various cities within the country to Xishuang Banna, and the average price of flight tickets has fallen by about 30 percent.

Most of the domestic tourists are from Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Changsha, Hunan province, and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, according to Qunar.

As the grandest traditional event of the Dai ethnic group, the water splashing festival is celebrated in various places in Yunnan, such as Mangshi, Pu'er, Ruili, and Lincang.