National Tourist Satisfaction Survey Report for the First Quarter of 2023

On May 19, the Tourist Satisfaction Research Group of the China Tourism Academy released the "National Tourist Satisfaction Survey Report for the First Quarter of 2023". The report shows that in the first quarter of 2023, the national comprehensive satisfaction index of domestic tourists was 80.41, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 0.29%, which was in the "satisfied" range, and the trend of stabilization and recovery was initially evident. The satisfaction of outbound tourists was 82.32, an increase of 0.98% over the same period in 2019, exceeding the level of the same period before the epidemic. Cities that rank at the top of the tourist satisfaction ranking include: Suzhou, Qingdao, Chongqing, Changchun, Nanjing, Luoyang, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Changsha, and Tianjin. Shopping, catering, travel agencies and other service shortcomings and complaints are relatively concentrated, and the risk of downward tourist satisfaction in the short term still needs attention. The main contents of the report are as follows:

The national tourist satisfaction rate remained stable in the "satisfied" range and achieved a month-on-month growth. In the first quarter of 2023, the national tourist comprehensive satisfaction index was 80.41, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 0.29%, lower than the same period in the first quarter of 2022 (81.52). In 2022, under the epidemic prevention and control situation, the national tourist satisfaction rate fell for the first time since 2016. In 2023, the national tourism market returned to a safe and orderly track, residents' willingness to travel and consumer confidence gradually recovered, tourists' sense of gain and happiness increased, and the overall tourist satisfaction showed a stabilizing and rising trend.

Figure 1: National Tourist Satisfaction Comprehensive Index 2014Q1-2023Q1

Data source: Special survey on tourist satisfaction conducted by China Tourism Academy

The satisfaction of tourists who complained about quality supervision has increased significantly, while the satisfaction of tourists surveyed on-site has a downward risk. In the past three years, tourists have complained about refund disputes, hotel inability to check in, and damage to their rights and interests during quarantine due to canceled trips due to the epidemic. The business operations and complaint handling of tourist destinations and tourism market entities have faced tremendous pressure, and quality supervision of tourists has Satisfaction has declined. In the first quarter of 2023, the on-site survey tourist satisfaction index was 82.75, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 0.19%, and a year-on-year decrease of 2.13%; the online review tourist satisfaction index was 76.69, a quarter-on-quarter decrease of 2.52%, and a year-on-year decrease of 3.02%; the complaint quality supervision tourist satisfaction index 73.29, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 6.27% and a year-on-year increase of 7.21%. The growth trend of tourist satisfaction from complaints quality supervision is better than that of on-site surveys and online reviews, driving the comprehensive satisfaction index to rebound.

Figure 2: National tourist satisfaction on-site, online and complaint index from 2014Q1 to 2023Q1

Data source: Special survey on tourist satisfaction conducted by China Tourism Academy

Table 1 Changes in the growth rate of the comprehensive index and sub-index of satisfaction in the first quarter of 2023

Chinese tourists have returned to the international tourism market, and outbound tourist satisfaction has exceeded pre-epidemic levels. In the first quarter of 2023, outbound tourism returned to the public eye, with outbound tourist satisfaction rating 82.32, an increase of 0.98% compared with the same period in 2019. Chinese outbound tourists' satisfaction with travel-related services in overseas destinations has increased compared with the same period in 2019, with transportation, shopping, accommodation, and public services showing the most significant improvements in Macau, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. Tourists from , Italy, Thailand, Canada, and New Zealand have higher overall satisfaction. The China Macau Regional Tourism Bureau actively organizes festivals and events and strengthens supervision and inspections of scenic spots, ports and various consumption venues. Government officials from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries greet Chinese tourists at the airport to provide Chinese tourists with high-quality tourism services and wonderful experiences. space.

Figure 3: Comparison of outbound tourists’ satisfaction indicators in the first quarter of 2019 and 2023

Data source: Special survey on tourist satisfaction conducted by China Tourism Academy

​Comprehensive services such as urban transportation, public services, and business environment have increased month-on-month, while shopping, catering, travel agencies and other services still have shortcomings. In 2023, people have returned to the free travel and book-and-go tourism mode, and it has become an industry consensus to develop urban tourism with a broad urban comprehensive reception system as the main body. Data show that in the first quarter of 2023, tourists' satisfaction with the overall service, city image, satisfaction with actual feelings compared with needs, satisfaction with actual feelings compared with ideals, possibility of revisiting, possibility of recommending relatives and friends in 60 major tourist cities in China has increased month-on-month, and the satisfaction scores for shopping, catering, travel agencies, accommodation, etc. are relatively low. Cities with high tourist satisfaction include: Suzhou, Qingdao, Chongqing, Changchun, Nanjing, Luoyang, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Changsha, and Tianjin.

Figure 4: Quarterly comparison of sub-indicators of domestic urban tourism service system

Data source: Special survey on tourist satisfaction conducted by China Tourism Academy

​The restructuring of the tourism supply chain, the expansion of reception capacity and the optimization of the system are still being promoted, and the risk of downward trend in tourist satisfaction in the short term still needs attention. In the first quarter of 2023, the national tourist satisfaction increased month-on-month, but it still declined quarter-on-quarter. The quality of domestic tourism services is still far from the overall improvement of tourists' sense of gain. According to the special survey data of the China Tourism Research Institute, during the Spring Festival in 2023, 21.2% of the surveyed companies said that the recovery of the tourism supply side was lagging, and 29.4% of the surveyed tourists believed that the services in the scenic spots or venues could not keep up. There were still complaints about forced shopping, tour guide services, and catering prices in some areas. With the continuous release of domestic and foreign travel demand, especially the growth of outbound tourism demand for tourism products, visas, airlines, hotels and other supporting services, inbound tourism has higher expectations for the image of the destination, residents' attitudes, industry management, and travel services. The problem of tourism supply not keeping up with the upgrading of demand is more obvious in the short term.