New Changes in Travel:Past Visitors Are Become Today’s Experiencers

By Lynn Yu

Since 2021， all major travel platforms have focused on providing travel products with smaller and more personalized experiences. In other words， according to the changes in the consumption habits of generation Z travelers， travel platforms are constantly being urged to innovate and recognize the demands of these consumers for“Wan Fa” （It means ways to travel and have fun）.

Mafengwos latest Travel Guide for Contemporary Young People shows that personality， appearance， experience and socialization have become important criteria for young people when making accommodation choices. Homestays， recreational vehicles （RVs for short） and tents can all be “places to stay” which are full of surprises.

Museum and art exhibitions are the representatives of cultural life

For young people， if they choose a city to settle down in， the richness of the cultural life of this city is often a factor which is taken into consideration. Whether the museums are attractive， whether art exhibitions are held regularly， and whether interesting activities are held in various cultural spaces—these directly determine the quality of our weekend recreational life. According to the big data provided by Mafengwo， among those who like to visit museums and see exhibitions， people born post-80s accounted for the most， reaching 41.7%， post-90s and post-00s people accounted for 32.1%， and those born post-70s accounted for 17.3%. Compared with the crowds at music festivals， the enthusiasm of people born after the 1970s for museums and exhibitions is obviously higher.

In recent years， museums have not only made great efforts in terms of exhibits and curation， but have also attracted young people through ingenious new cultural creations， creating such popular cultural and creative products as “Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow” in the Gansu Provincial Museum， the blind box with a praying theme in Sanxingdui Museum， “Chaozhu” headphones at the Palace Museum， and popular ice creams at the Yin Ruins Museum.

According to the data from Mafengwo， the top five museums （exhibition halls） with the highest popularity since 2022 are Sanxingdui Museum， the Palace Museum， the National Museum of China， Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and Shaanxi History Museum. Beijing， Chengdu， Xi an， Deyang and Guangzhou are the cities with the most prominent museum labels.

When it comes to art exhibitions， Beijing and Shanghai host almost all types of exhibitions that are the most popular among young people. From January to September， 2022， online and offline influential exhibitions nearly all took place in these two major cities. It is worth noting that art exhibitions not only appear in art halls， but can also be integrated into other venues， such as grounded vegetable markets， for example. The artist Qiu Zhijies “Ancient Chinese Food Culture” art exhibition in Beijing Sanyuanli Vegetable Market made artistic works collide with the hustle and bustle of modern life.

With the changing ideas about travel， more and more young peoples self-orientation when traveling has changed from “visitors” （as seen in the past） to “experiencers” today， due to their wish to personally integrate into the daily life of local residents and experience the most authentic local customs and lifestyles. Featured food， bustling vegetable markets， delicious night markets， and streets and lanes encompassing the breath of life are all types of hustle and bustle which now attracts young travelers to cities.

More than 45% of the post-90s generation will travel just for delicious food

The younger generations born after 1990 and even after 1995 not only enjoy unlocking all kinds of new pastimes， but also have a great enthusiasm for eating. In fact， more than 45% of these people are willing to travel just for food. Local “food guides” are almost the most necessary information for them to look at before each trip， and food documentaries such as A Bite of China， The Story of Chuaner and Once Upon A Bite are also important references for them to choose their travel destinations.

On the list of the most authentic and local cities embodying this hustle and bustle on young peoples minds in 2022， Changsha was undoubtedly first place. Everywhere from Wenheyou， Cha Yan Yue Se and other well-known popular delicacies， to the “Rice Noodle Street”， which rose to fame since the pandemic， are crowded at night， and the strong pull of the hustle and bustle of daily life here are the biggest characteristic of Changsha which attract young tourists. Chongqing， Xian， Chengdu and Guiyang， which are among the top five cities on the list， all leave a deep “taste mark” for travelers. It is worth mentioning that Yanji， a small border town that has become popular for its food in the past two years， is also on the list.

Young people prefer travel through high-speed rail

Chinas high-speed rail network has been continuously added to， gradually forming a network of eight vertical and horizontal directions， serving almost all of the most important tourist destinations in China. The distance between cities is continuously being shortened， and the radius of tourists daily travel is also being extended. This not only redefines the concept of travel around the city， but also makes it common for young people to take the high-speed rail to another city for the weekend. In 2022， content regarding “high-speed rail tours” on the Mafengwo website increased by 28% compared with the same period of last year. The high-speed rail is becoming a popular choice for young people to travel in all directions.

The Xishuangbanna section of the “China-Laos Railway”， which was operated at the end of last year， has undoubtedly become the most popular high-speed rail line for young people in 2022. This line has not only officially pulled Xishuangbanna into the “high-speed rail era”， but has also shortened the distance from Kunming to Xishuangbanna to three hours. This also solves the problem that the distribution of scenic spots in Xishuangbanna is not concentrated， making it easier for tourists to visit all of Xishuangbanna. The Hangzhou-Huangshan High-speed Railway， which connects Hangzhou and Huangshan， and the BeijingZhangjiakou High-speed Railway， which is soaring in popularity due to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022， closely followed.

From the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway and the Yuxi-Mohan Railway， which fully opened to traffic last year， to this years Zhengzhou-Chongqing Highspeed Railway， Nyingchi， Shennongjia and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River， which could previously only be seen by long and tiring travel， can now be easily reached by high-speed rail. The high-speed rail network connects the sites of beautiful scenery one by one， making high-speed rail tours a new favorite pastime for young people， and at the same time， the driving effect on local tourism is also immeasurable.

Tourists from first-tier cities or new first-tier cities are enthusiastic about road trips

For young tourists， it has also become a pleasure to travel while driving and to enjoy the process of discovering unknown beauty on the road and stopping to enjoy it immediately. Statistics regarding tourist sources show that tourists from first-tier cities and new first-tier cities occupy an absolutely dominant position among self-driving tourists， accounting for 60.7% of the total. The trend for road trips in secondtier cities and third-and fourth-tier cities has increased significantly in recent years， accounting for nearly 40% of the total， and is on the rise year by year.

Beijing tourists have the highest enthusiasm for road trips， and Zhangjiakou， Aranya and the Hulun Buir Grassland are the most popular destinations for road trips. Chengdu， Guangzhou， Chongqing and Shanghai， which also benefit from the rich tourism resources around them， rank second to fifth in the list of tourist cities which are good bases for road trips.

According to the data， up until now， in 2022， 80.7% of road trip tourists chose to travel for 1-8 days， and short-distance road trips are still mainstream. Through this insight into its users preferences， Mafengwo found that tourists traveling with friends are more likely to choose mid-distance travel （less than 500 kilometers） by car， while family and parent-child travel is more likely to be short-distance （more than 200 kilometers）， and traveling alone is more likely when undertaking long-distance travel （more than 500 kilometers） for road trips.

On the list of young peoples favorite road trip routes in 2022， a “Road Trip Along the G318 Sichuan-Tibet Highway” is the experience that every road trip enthusiast is eager to complete， taking the top spot on the list. A “Road Trip Along the Gannan and Longnan Highway” and a “Road Trip Along the Qiandongnan Highway” ranked second or third， and the Duku Highway， which is only open for a limited period every year， also takes a spot among the top five.

It is worth noting that road trip routes in the northwest and southwest occupy seven places in the top ten. Seeing the natural beauty along the way is the number one appeal for road trip enthusiasts. Whether its the vast and magnificent northwest or the mountainous southwest， both are road trip “paradises” in their minds.

“Route” and “equipment” are necessary for long-distance cycling

Combining sport with travel perfectly， cycling is both healthy and allows you to get closer to nature. In recent years， cycling has attracted increasing attention. Bicycles are now being regarded as a means of transportation and cycling is seen as a way of life. In addition to relaxing urban cycling， more and more young people are eager to challenge themselves through long-distance cycling and enjoy the beautiful scenery， while overcoming difficulties along the way. Long-distance cycling requires facing more unknowns and challenges， and professional equipment and perfect route planning are the top priorities for pre-trip preparation. Reasonable arrangements for the daily travel distance， determination of rest and supply points according to the distance between towns along the way， the road conditions of the route and local weather conditions are all factors that require close attention.

As a novice-friendly entry-level route， cycling around Qinghai Lake has become the most popular long-distance cycling route for young people this year. This route is moderately difficult and highly scenic. Every year， May-October is the season most suited for challenge， and July-August is the best time to see rape blossoms around Qinghai Lake. The 318 National Highway， which ranks second， is not only a dream for road trip enthusiasts， but is also the “peak” that professional long-distance cyclists want to conquer. Cycling around Taihu Lake， where you can enjoy the spring scenery to the south of the Yangtze River， is the favorite cycling route for young people in Jiangsu， Zhejiang and Shanghai every spring.

Experience has become an important criterion for young people when choosing homestays

With the change in the tourism consumption view， the positioning of accommodation in young peoples minds has also changed greatly. Todays accommodation is no longer a simple foothold， but is seen as an important part of travel， and more expectations are placed on accommodations. With facilities and services that are not inferior to those of traditional hotels， and the unique style that traditional hotels lack， homestays are attracting more and more young people.

According to a survey， 90.1% of users still regard hygiene and safety as the primary consideration when choosing a homestay， and the surrounding scenery and characteristic experience rank second or third， accounting for 53% and 46.8% respectively. In recent years， homestays that “keep pace with the times” have been making efforts to enrich their experiences. Additional projects such as homestay + produce picking， homestay + murder mystery， homestay + hot springs， homestay + artistic experiences have become the key to attracting young people.

Compared with the same period of last year， in 2022， the trend towards quality in young peoples homestay consumption became more and more obvious， and the proportion of homestays priced at over RMB 1，000 increased by 13.7%. Young people are willing to pay for a hotels high-quality facilities and services， personalized design， and special experience. It has become a new holiday habit for many urban families to find a suburban homestay or building and spend happy reunion time there with their families.

The high-end homestays around Beijing are outstanding， occupying three seats in the top ten， and the Puli Diary homestay in Longqing Gorge tops the enthusiasm of Beijing tourists. Zhong Wei South Coast homestay is ranked eighth with its artistic features combining local desert and rock paintings， and is also the only homestay in the western region on the list. The characteristic accommodation represented by it has now become the key for Ningxia to gain young tourists. It is often hard to find space at these popular homestays， even during non-peak times.

The increasing popularity of RV travel

This year， the popularity of the C6 drivers license （the drivers license required for light towing trailer） has pushed the popularity of “RV travel”in China to a new high， and more and more young people are beginning to pay attention to RVs. The RV， which integrates the two functions of transportation and accommodation， not only has complete facilities， but can also carry pets， and can stop as long as drivers wish to. Bedrooms， kitchens， bathrooms and other living spaces are available， and refrigerators， televisions， induction cookers and other electrical appliances are can be used， which are both means for transportation and living spaces.

According to the data， since 2022， the RV content on the Mafengwo website has increased by 30.3% compared with the same period of last year. RV + camping， RV + outdoor barbecue， RV + stargazing are the most popular of these. Traveling in an RV can not only solve the problems of accommodation and catering while on the road， but can also meet the needs of young people for exploring while traveling.

In recent years， “exquisite and stylish” camping， which has become a popular social media phenomenon， has also emerged， with campsites mainly being concentrated in urban parks or the surrounding countryside. In fact， for many hardcore outdoor campers， camping tents are not only their happygo-lucky foothold in their journey， but are also a form of “intimate communication”between them and nature.

Camping is always inseparable from natural wonders such as starry skies， sunrises and seas of clouds. The most suitable destination for stargazing in China is the number one choice for long-distance camping. The magnificent northwest， the endless Inner Mongolian prairie， the seaside and hilltops are ideal camping places for these travelers to “feel the starry sky” at close range.