School breaks spark a surge in bookings for winter holiday tours

Several travel agencies have reported a significant hike in winter vacation tour bookings after schools and universities across China recently announced their winter holiday schedules. Industry insiders said domestic destinations with milder climates and overseas scenic spots are in intense competition to attract winter holiday travelers.

Since late November, primary and high schools nationwide, as well as universities, have been releasing their winter holiday plans, with vacation lengths ranging from 25 days to over 40 days.

In Shanghai, for instance, primary and high school students will have 25 days off from Feb 2 to 27. In contrast, winter holiday breaks last 43 days in Heilongjiang province in Northeast China, starting in mid-January, as the region experiences earlier and more severe cold weather.

As students' winter vacations will overlap with the Spring Festival holiday — a traditional Chinese period for family reunions falling in mid-February next year — many families are choosing to travel during the first half of their children's winter breaks to avoid travel peaks and potential price hikes for flights and hotel rooms during the Spring Festival holiday period.

"I plan to take my son on a weeklong winter tour in late January using my paid leave, although we haven't finalized the dates yet," said Wang Li, 39, who works in Beijing."We have two final choices — Hainan in South China and Kunming in Southwest China — both of which enjoy milder climates in winter."

Wang said she previously sent her son to winter holiday tutoring classes, such as ice hockey and tennis, and scheduled family trips during the Spring Festival holiday. "Those plans cost much more because accommodation and flight prices skyrocketed during Spring Festival. This winter holiday, I want to move the family trip to earlier," she said.

Wang is not alone. Travel portal Qunar said tour bookings from mid-January — when most students begin their winter school breaks — to the period before the Spring Festival holiday have seen significant growth since late November.

Qunar also reported a notable increase in flight ticket bookings for children during that period. Bookings for infants and children aged up to 12 rose by 60.7 percent year-on-year. Domestically, warmer destinations including Zhuhai in Guangdong province, Sanya in Hainan, and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province have all seen a surge in tourism bookings, the platform said.

Overseas destinations such as Thailand and Russia are also popular choices for winter holiday travelers. According to Qunar, Thailand is currently the top overseas destination on its platform, with flight ticket bookings from the Chinese mainland to the country increasing 21 percent from mid-January to the eve of the Spring Festival holiday.

Qi Chunguang, vice-president of travel portal Tuniu, noted a boom in overseas winter holiday tours.

"Some long-distance tour products to Australia and New Zealand for the winter holiday have already sold out,"Qi said. "Tours to Europe, Dubai and Egypt will see a booking rush this month." He added that tour products to overseas island destinations such as the Maldives are also entering their peak reservation season.

Zhou Chenjie, 42, who lives in Shanghai, said she has booked a five-day family trip to Thailand starting Feb 4. "It's my daughter's birthday wish," Zhou said. "Traveling before the Spring Festival holiday is a good deal, as flight tickets and hotel rooms are offered at discounted prices."