"Off-Peak Travel" Gains Momentum, Opening New Space for Cultural Tourism Consumption

After the Spring Festival, as airline and hotel prices decline, the popularity of “off-peak travel” rises. Some scenic spots are experiencing lively scenes typical of the off-season, becoming a bright spot in the spring consumption market.

According to official reports from various regions, recently, Jiangxi, Anhui, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and other places have introduced limited-time free admission policies for scenic spots and other discounts.

Zhu Keli, founder of the New Economy Research Institute of the National Development Research Institute, told Securities Daily that after the Spring Festival, airline and hotel prices have fallen sharply, mainly due to cyclical adjustments in supply and demand. After the holiday ends, the concentrated demand for visiting relatives and tourism quickly diminishes, and business travel has not fully recovered. The market enters the traditional off-season, and airlines and hotels face pressure from declining occupancy rates. They lower prices to increase volume and reduce vacancy losses. Meanwhile, the reduction in fuel surcharges lowers travel costs, providing room for prices to decline.

Zhu Keli believes that, according to industry patterns, this low-price trend is expected to continue until late March or early April. As Qingming and May Day holidays approach, travel demand will gradually rebound, prices will stabilize and slightly increase, showing a rhythm of “rapid decline after the holiday, maintaining low levels in March, and mild rebound in April.”

Interviews with several travel agencies indicate that recently, with airline and hotel prices decreasing, group tour prices have significantly dropped, and inquiries and transaction volumes have slightly increased.

Fu Yifu, a special researcher at the Shanghai Commercial Bank, told Securities Daily that the “off-season not dull” phenomenon in the post-holiday tourism market results from multiple factors. First, the sharp drop in airline and hotel prices has brought high cost-performance for travel, attracting many price-sensitive tourists to travel off-peak. Second, many scenic spots have launched free admission and other discounts, further reducing travel costs and stimulating tourists’ willingness to go out. Third, the customer structure has shifted; groups like the “silver-haired” elderly, who have flexible schedules, avoid peak holiday times and pursue more comfortable, less crowded travel experiences, becoming the main force in “off-peak travel.” Fourth, spring temperatures rise, and seasonal activities like flower viewing and outdoor outings are abundant. Coupled with improved infrastructure for local and nearby travel, short-distance off-peak travel has become more convenient, further boosting market enthusiasm.

How to meet the demand for off-peak travel and continue to release consumption vitality? Zhu Keli suggests that regions can focus on four areas to continuously activate the “off-peak travel” market. First, strengthen policy benefits, introduce regular off-season discounts, expand coverage of free and discounted scenic spots, and coordinate transportation, accommodation, and dining to offer combined tickets and packages, reducing overall travel costs. Second, enrich product offerings by creating themed products such as flower viewing, study tours, health and wellness, and intangible cultural heritage experiences, developing immersive and interactive new formats to address the shortcomings of off-season products. Third, optimize service guarantees by simplifying reservation processes, increasing scenic spot capacity, improving transportation connections and complaint handling mechanisms, and cracking down on market chaos to create a safe travel environment. Fourth, promote regional cooperation to facilitate resource sharing and mutual support among tourist sources, guide off-peak and flexible vacations, and sustain the vitality of off-season consumption.

Fu Yifu recommends offering customized services for the elderly and family groups, improving infrastructure for local and nearby travel; at the same time, strengthening promotion through social media and online platforms to guide the public to travel off-peak. Additionally, encouraging enterprises to innovate formats, expand nighttime cultural and tourism consumption scenes, and continuously activate the cultural and tourism market.