Sanya Ranked the Most Popular Destination on Ctrip in 2017

(Source: Sanya Tourism Development Commission)

Ctrip, the largest online travel agent in China and the second largest in the world, recently released the “2017 Sanya Tourism Report.”

Data revealed that Sanya ranked first in Ctrip’s travel search results throughout 2017. Sanya was the most-searched holiday destination by Ctrip users. Among those users, 64 percent were individual travelers, and 47 percent were under the age of 30.

Sanya has long been a favorite place for “snowbirds” (referred to in Chinese as “migrant elderly people”) who move to Sanya during the winter from colder climes in more northerly parts of China. “Snowbirds” seek out Sanya for its pleasant climate, good air quality, beautiful scenery, and more relaxed pace of life. Recently, however, the tropical resort city has become more and more popular among young people born in the 1990s and 2000s.

The top 10 domestic tourist source cities for Sanya in 2017 were Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing, Wuhan, Tianjin, Xi’an, Chongqing, and Guangzhou.

The report pointed out that thanks to Sanya’s comfortable tourism environment, well-established tourism infrastructure, convenient transfer between tourist attractions, and rich array of tourist packages and products, individual travel has become the top choice for visitors to Sanya. Individual travelers accounted for more than 60 percent of the total number of tourists visiting Sanya in 2017. About 83 percent of travelers spent four to six days in Sanya.

The overwhelming majority of travelers — 93 percent — who booked tourist packages and products on Ctrip preferred to choose “five diamond“ packages and products, with per capita consumption reaching RMB 3,000.

In 2017, travelers aged 31 to 45 spent the most in Sanya, followed by travelers aged between 61 and 75.

Traveling with family members, romantic partners, and friends/co-workers were the top three travel trends in 2017.

The tourist peak season in Sanya began in December 2017 and is expected to last till February 2018, according to the report.