Single, won't mingle, but will travel, spend

Evolving interests and changing lifestyles are making it increasingly difficult for young Chinese to achieve consensus during family discussions on holiday destinations. So, many of them are preferring to travel alone to big cities, areas with lakes and mountains, or places offering outdoor extreme sports.

During the current National Day holiday break, the number of Chinese who registered for group trips by themselves surged 56 percent over last year, with more single women joining group travels. They are now the second-largest group after family travelers, according to Qunar, one of China's largest travel agencies.

Diving (after receiving the necessary certification), camping, hiking and cycling are the most popular activities that single travelers prefer to do during their excursions, Qunar found.

There are more than 240 million singles in China now. Collectively, they form a bigger group than the combined population of Russia and the United Kingdom. Nearly 80 million single adults in China live alone, and the huge single population base has stoked a booming singles economy.

"Singles' number is big. This trend undoubtedly has implications for tourism. When singles travel alone, they don't need to consider the demands of companions, and they can choose destinations and plan their trips based on their own preferences," said Neil Wang, president of consultancy Frost & Sullivan in China.

"The process of traveling, from making plans and reservations, is quite long and complicated, thus more young people think traveling on their own is freer and more fun.

"But, factors that people should consider before deciding to travel alone are safety, the loneliness of trips, communication with others and taking photos. They could pose problems. Traveling alone requires good experience and awareness of self-defense tactics. For those who lack adequate travel experience, going on trips with others might be a better option," said Wang.

In recent years, more young people in China chose to remain single or got married relatively late in life. Last year, 10.14 million couples registered to get married, 4.6 percent lower than in 2017. The marriage rate was 0.73 percent, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Given the rising demand for travel from singles, and their booming spending power, most travel agencies welcome singles who wish to join group travels.

This year (till September-end), the number of singles who traveled with groups soared 40 percent over last year, and those who traveled abroad with groups increased by 10 percent year-on-year, according to Ctrip, the largest travel agency in China. It did not disclose specific figures, though.

"For singles, there appear to be many choices: they can travel by themselves, or travel with groups, or opt for a customized tour for one person, or blend the free-and-easy option with a group tour, or get creative and innovate further. In fact, we have some specific travel products that are specifically developed for singles," said Peng Liang, director of public relations at Ctrip.

"Compared to traveling with groups, more singles prefer to travel alone, as they can adjust schedules easily based on their own preferences. They book flight tickets, hotels, ground transportation and local entertainment by themselves online," he said.

Traveling alone usually allows one to go to those niche travel destinations and join some special events.

Ge Yue, a 26-year-old camp product designer in Beijing, has traveled alone in China and around the world, in addition to traveling with family and friends. She said traveling alone allows her more flexibility with her time and she can visit any place she likes. Last month, she joined a 72-hour nonstop Christian worship event in the United Kingdom.

"There are so many fresh elements when traveling alone and it often gives me surprises. I can make new friends. I like the challenges of social networking and I have to face the challenge when I'm alone," she said.

"I would also have the opportunity to drink a cup of coffee and think. If I travel alone, I will make good preparations and have some emergency measures in my mind in case of unexpected mishaps."

Qixi Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, saw the number of singles who chose to travel alone surge by nearly 50 percent over last year, Ctrip found.

Singles who work and live in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, with higher spending power and a desire to wear their personality on their sleeve, prefer to travel alone more.

Domestically, singles prefer to travel to large cities, and couples prefer to tour the scenic spots like mountains and lakes. Metropolises like Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an, Guangzhou and Hangzhou top the list of travel destinations for singles, while the top tourism resorts for couples are Kunming, Lijiang and Sanya.

For overseas destinations, singles prefer to go to nearby Asian countries with convenient direct flights. Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam top the list, Ctrip found.

Although traveling alone appears to bring more freedom, it also increases economic pressure, as one needs to be restrained when it comes to hotel fares, transportation and meals. Else, costs could shoot up by 10 to 20 percent compared to traveling with more people, industry players observed. Some single travelers may choose to stay at hostels or rely on carpools to cut their spending.

Travelers born in the 1980s and 1990s are the single biggest subgroup among single travelers, accounting for 30 percent of the total. The elderly group aged 60 and above is also willing to travel alone, according to Ctrip findings.

In January, a septuagenarian surnamed Zhang, a resident of Beijing, joined a group of 20 travelers on a trip to Spain and Portugal.

"My wife passed away a few years ago. The void created by her demise would distract me. Travels, I find, make me feel better. Going out is better than staying at home. Traveling with a group is quite easy, and I don't need to worry about the accommodation and transportation. I can take good care of myself," he said.