A new report reveals insight into travelers' choices when it comes to visiting China. The insights help travelers to plan their trip to China.
Over the past year, The China Guide, a Beijing-based travel agency, has organized custom private tours in China for thousands of travelers from the United States, Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and beyond. As 2019 kicks off, The China Guide releases its second annual report on the preferences and popular choices of foreign travelers to China based on the experiences of their clients in 2018.
According to the 2018 China Inbound Tourism Report, the mild weather and pleasant temperatures, spring (March, April, and May) and fall (September and October) are the two most popular seasons for traveling in China. Based on the2018 data, March through December receive the most visitors, with March, April, May, July, September, and October being especially popular months for setting off on a trip to China. January and February are the two lowest months in terms of visitors, with only 6% of travelers choosing these two months to start their trips to China.
There are other factors besides weather that are worth considering when deciding when to travel to China, such as public holidays and school breaks. If you want to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of visiting China in different months/seasons, please read our suggestions concerning the best and worst times to travel in China here.
Where to Go When Traveling in China?
In 2018, the most popular city to travel was Beijing. 82% percent of the travelers visited Beijing during their trip to China. Being another major city and the financial capital of the country, Shanghai attracted 31% of our travelers. Another popular destination was the ancient city of Xi'an, site of of the world-famous Terracotta Army, which 27% of our travelers visited in 2018.
Guilin/Yangshuo, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chengdu, and Zhangjiajie made up the second tier of popular destinations among foreign travelers to China. The Guilin/Yangshuo area is particularly well-known for its beautiful natural scenery.
The third-tier destinations include Huangshan, Pingyao, Luoyang, the Yangtze River, Guangzhou, Datong, Yunnan, and Tibet. While less popular, these destinations are still a good choice if you have a particular interest in visiting them, or if you want to visit more off-the-beaten-path sites. Because of their remote geographical location and the difficulty of access, as well as demanding more time and costs, Yunnan and Tibet did not receive many visitors, despite being well known among travelers.
When to Book a Trip to China?
According to the statistics, the longer a trip is, the longer in advance travelers book their tour. This is understandable, since a long tour requires more planning and preparation time.
Based on the 2018 statistics people book a 1 to 3-day tour an average of 29 days in advance, a 4 to 7-day tour an average of 55 days in advance, 8 or more day tour an average of 81 days in advance.
