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Why does the "3-hour travel circle" continue to attract fans?

Go straight to Beijing West Railway Station after work on Friday, take the high-speed train for 2 hours and 8 minutes to arrive in Handan, and check in the special snack bar in the evening; On Saturdays and Sundays, visit the East Taihang Scenic Area and Xiangtang Mountain Grottoes, a day of landscape and a day of culture; Catch the high-speed train back to Beijing in the evening to welcome the new week...... This is the busy and rich weekend life of Xiao Wang, a "post-90s" boy in Beijing.

In recent years, around the central city, the "3-hour travel circle" with self-driving and high-speed rail as the main travel modes has countless fans. The "micro-vacation" with a two- or three-hour drive and a two-to-three-day drive is very popular.

What changes does the rise of "micro-vacations" reflect in the tourism market and people's lifestyles?

On weekends, go to a nearby city to "shop and eat"

Xiao Wang said that at first, he just made the most of each small vacation to explore the county villages around Beijing, and then gradually developed to "change cities for weekends".

"It's more important to plan every weekend than the uncontrollable nature of a long journey." Xiao Wang said that under his influence, many friends around him also began to try to take a short-distance high-speed rail to start a weekend "micro-vacation".

In first- and second-tier cities, more and more young people use weekends to "visit and eat" a nearby city, and the popularity of travel in the "3-hour travel circle" continues to rise.

According to data from a number of platforms, during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday just past, the growth rate of short- and medium-distance "micro-vacation" related orders was leading, and the growth trend of high-speed rail tours and self-driving tours across cities in the province and neighboring provinces was particularly obvious.

According to data from the Ctrip platform, the travel radius of high-speed rail travel orders during the holiday is about 361 kilometers, which is nearly 30% shorter than the three days before the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays last year. Same-trip travel data shows that the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomerations, Central Plains urban agglomerations and other urban agglomerations have strong demand for short- and medium-distance travel, and the high-speed rail travel market within 3 hours is the most active. On Fliggy, domestic car rental bookings during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday increased by 31% compared to the Dragon Boat Festival.

Why does the "3-hour travel circle" continue to attract fans?

"So close, so beautiful, weekend to Hebei". This catchy slogan has now become a "hot stalk" on the Internet, "draining" Hebei tourism. Big data passenger flow statistics show that in 2023, Hebei Province will be the preferred destination for Beijing tourists, and nearly 40% of Beijing tourists will take Hebei Province and Tianjin as their destinations when choosing to travel abroad.

"We hope to rely on the super-large-scale weekend tourism source market in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and surrounding provinces to create first-class weekend tourism products, services and environment in China, so that tourists can turn 'Hebei Weekend' into 'Hebei Festival' and enjoy a better tourism life." The relevant person in charge of the Hebei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism said.

Shanghai has launched special tourist train routes for cities such as Yancheng in Jiangsu, Jiaxing and Quzhou in Zhejiang, Lu'an and Huaibei in Anhui; Chongqing's Tongliang District and Dianjiang County have strengthened the integration of culture and tourism, built "micro-vacation" tourist destinations in Chengdu-Chongqing...... and "3-hour tourism circle" continued to release market vitality.

New transportation, new demands, new experiences

How did the "3-hour travel circle" come about?

The first is that transportation is becoming more and more convenient.

Departing from Shanghai in the morning, you can take a boat on the West Lake at noon, or stay at Anji B&B, or wave and bite into the delicious baked cake with the welcome pine on Huangshan Mountain. Similarly, residents of these cities can take the high-speed train to Shanghai in 3 hours and spend a good day.

With the increasing popularity of high-speed rail and intercity rail and the increasing interconnectedness of urban agglomerations, weekend vacations are becoming as common as cross-city commuting.

"Taking high-speed rail and bullet trains, the itinerary is punctual and controllable, the transportation is fast and convenient, and a more leisurely itinerary can be arranged at the destination, which is suitable for our middle-aged and elderly people." Mr. Qian, a 68-year-old Shanghai resident, said that the whole journey from his home in the city center to Hongqiao Railway Station by subway only takes about one hour.

Secondly, people's travel needs are becoming more and more diverse.

"Micro-vacations" satisfy people's psychological needs for a short "absence". Compared to the usual "vacation", it is not only a shortening of distance, but also a condensation of experience.

Xiao Wang told reporters that after work, he has more disposable income and more independent time arrangements, so he can explore "niche" destinations in depth and "go as he goes".

There are also people who enjoy the "slow time" of traveling with family and friends. "Minimize the travel time, and have plenty of time to play." Ms. Peng, a tourist from Guiyang, and her family of three took advantage of the long holiday to travel to Leshan, Sichuan, and she believes that what attracts them now is no longer the "check-in" sightseeing tour, but two or three days to integrate into local life and feel different customs.

In addition, the tourist destination format is becoming more and more attractive.

36 tall carved wooden doors open softly, and the actors dance gracefully; The light and shadow on the stage changed, and layers of water curtains fell from time to time...... "It's so shocking!" The audience sighed in unison.

Why does the "3-hour travel circle" continue to attract fans?

In the theater of "Only Dream of Red Mansions· Drama Fantasy City" in Langfang, Hebei Province, the integration of scene installation art and stage immersion technology brings a new experience to visitors. Whether it is by car, high-speed rail or by direct train from Beijing, it can be reached within 2 hours.

In recent years, various destinations have developed a variety of cultural tourism formats, making the trip worthwhile for tourists in the "3-hour travel circle".

"'Micro vacations' bring a new experience of 'fast travel and slow travel' to tourists, promote the modernization of the tourism industry, and provide opportunities for the development of more regions and high-quality employment for more people." Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said.

Quality improvement and upgrading also need to be fully strengthened

The reporter noticed that after the popularity of "micro-vacations", some emerging destinations have problems such as homogeneous construction and increased marketing. Many tourists go to the so-called "Little Altay" and "Oil Painting Wonderland" and find that they are fooled: the "beach" is actually a construction site, the "grassland" has become a barren grassland, and the blue sky and clear water all depend on filters...... On the one hand, these "exquisite" landscapes created out of the mentality of quick success and quick profit are not worthy of the name, which damages the reputation of the tourism industry; On the other hand, the "3-hour tourism circle" is often geographically close and culturally similar, and the development of tourism resources should also give more consideration to digging deep into the characteristics, coordinating and sharing, and differentiated development.

In addition, in order to gain a more "wild" travel experience, some tourists go to the undeveloped mountains and waters around the city, and recommend them to other tourists on social platforms. The security risks behind these behaviors cannot be ignored, and platforms and regulatory authorities should take responsibility for their management.

Why does the "3-hour travel circle" continue to attract fans?

And the question of the "last kilometres" is becoming more and more apparent. After arriving quickly, renting a car and parking are not convenient enough, and the carrying capacity of the scenic spot is limited, which makes many tourists "complain".

Lou Jiajun, a professor at East China Normal University, analyzed that all localities should pay attention to optimizing the "railway + scenic spot" tourism routes and transportation modes, and improve the connection between high-speed rail stations and scenic spots; Optimize the "heat distribution map" of tourists and remind tourists to divert in time; With the help of scientific and technological means, improve the efficiency of tourists' access.

A number of industry insiders believe that the rise of "micro-vacations" reflects the change of tourists' consumption concepts, the traditional reliance on shopping has brought about a decline in tourism income, and the demand for spiritual entertainment consumption has increased. This requires that the services provided by destinations be further matched to the needs of tourists. In addition to the demand for high-quality accommodation, soft needs such as food, art, socialization, health, entertainment, and parent-child interaction should be paid attention to, and diversified consumption scenarios should be expanded.

"Facing the future, 'micro-vacation' destinations need to spend more energy to build and promote a tourism image that adapts to the development of the times, improve infrastructure and public services, introduce financial and industrial capital, cultivate business entities, and continuously improve the satisfaction of tourists and the sense of gain of local urban and rural residents." Dai Bin said.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Author: Yang Zhanfei, Chen Aiping, Du Yifang

Process edit: u027

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