- Two thirds of Chinese travelers have taken a domestic flight since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 81 percent of survey respondents say they plan to fly t least once within next 12 months.
- Of those planning to travel, 73% will travel for leisure, with only 24% planning business trips.
According to the latest travel industry survey, 96% of travelers in China are ready and are planning on traveling by air in the near future.
81% of the survey respondents say they plan to fly at least once within the next 12 months and 50% plan to fly by this autumn.
Of those planning to travel, 73% stated it was for leisure with only 24% planning business travel.
The pent-up demand is also reflected in China’s passenger traffic, which is showing signs of a strong recovery. As of September 2021, China traffic was at 87% of 2019 levels — way ahead the rest of Asia (42%).
The survey revealed that two thirds (66%) of Chinese travelers have taken a domestic flight since the start of the pandemic. The schedules data reveal domestic travel in Q4 is primed to outpace pre-pandemic levels, growing by some 15% compared to Q4 2019.
Following months of restrictions triggered by China’s Zero-COVID policy, increased demand for a major return to international and regional travel is obvious.
More than half (61%) of survey respondents said that they are ready to travel out of mainland China once borders are open, with Southeast Asia being the top region of choice, followed by Europe, Australia/New Zealand and East Asia.
