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| Four Points by Sheraton in Sanya, South China's Hainan province. A recent survey covering prices paid in China by all travelers shows that the tourism market in the southern tropical city of Sanya will grow exponentially over the years in line with the local government plans to make it a global tropical island resort destination by 2020. (China Daily) |
Higher inflows to provide strong growth momentum for hotels this year
Sanya, a city in South China's Hainan province, continued to be highest paid tourism destination in China amongst all travelers, followed by Chengdu and Xi'an, according to a recent survey conducted by a leading online hotel booking system.
The Hotel.com's recent survey covering prices paid in China by all travelers shows that average hotel rates in 2012 remained more or less flat at 695 yuan ($112).
The survey noted that the tourism market in the southern tropical city of Sanya will grow exponentially over the years in line with the local government plans to make it a global tropical island resort destination by 2020. According to the survey, the city's daily hotel prices were the highest at an average rate of 1,165 yuan, despite a 15 percent decline over the previous year.
Lower demand from Chinese tourists was one of the main reasons why hotel rates in Sanya remained low last year, said Jessica Chuang, senior marketing manager, Greater China of Hotel.com Asia Pacific.
In 2012, nearly 11.02 million tourists visited Sanya, an 8 percent growth over 2011, while tourism revenues grew by 11 percent over 2011 to 19.2 billion yuan.
Two other popular destinations - Chengdu, home of the giant pandas in Sichuan province and Xi'an with its world-renowned Terracotta Warriors - saw slight decreases in tourist inflows.
Overseas travelers still prefer Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou as their first destinations when they visit China, said Chuang. Hotel owners in destinations like Lijiang city in Yunnan province have benefited due to strong demand from domestic and overseas travelers, she said.
Qingdao, the major seaport famous for its beer festival, saw an 18 percent decline in hotel rates to 653 yuan. Other double-digit fallers included Ningbo and Kunming, making them the destinations where travelers paid the lowest average rates.
Amongst the stronger performers were Dongguan, home to the world's largest shopping mall, up 18 percent to 703 yuan and Quanzhou up 15 percent to 617 yuan. Hotel rates in Beijing rose 6 percent to 709 yuan, while the neighboring city of Tianjin recorded a 1 percent increase to 621 yuan.
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