Data Release | Online Travel Asset Index Report for the Second Quarter of 2020

With the acceleration of the onlineization process of China's cultural and tourism industry, building online content assets has become an important way for the cultural and tourism industry to provide high-quality services to consumers and upstream and downstream of the industry chain. In order to provide evidence for online tourism assets, the China Tourism Research Institute released the online tourism assets index (TPI) in March 2020, promoting the industry to embrace the Internet in an all-round way. Recently, the China Tourism Research Institute and the Mafengwo Free Travel Big Data Joint Laboratory released the "2020 Q2 Online Tourism Asset Index Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"), which is the first online tourism asset index (TPI) report in China. The report comprehensively evaluates the performance of online assets of destinations and scenic spots worldwide from April to June 2020 (Q2) based on five dimensions of online content release, dissemination, interaction, reputation, and transactions. In the second quarter of 2020, the majority of scenic spots and destinations mainly targeted the surrounding tourist groups, which became a clear feature of the development of online tourism during the reporting period. The process of onlineization in the tourism industry is accelerating, and TPI provides reference coordinates for operators. Under the epidemic, the online penetration rate of the tourism industry has rapidly increased. Tourists obtain tourism consumption information through rich online tourism content such as travelogues, notes, short videos, live broadcasts, etc. Various e-commerce platforms have become the main battlefield for local tourism fragmented product transactions mainly based on ticket business. Destination and scenic spots also need to rely on online channels to achieve communication and interaction with tourists. Online tourism assets have become an important component of the tourism industry. The TPI index helps tourism industry operators in global destinations and scenic spots establish a complete coordinate system of online tourism assets through five dimensions: publication index, dissemination index, interaction index, reputation index, and transaction index, accurately evaluating the accumulation and changes of online tourism assets. In the latest released TPI report, Hulunbuir has a relatively high increase among the top 100 cities in the domestic TPI comprehensive index, with a month on month increase of 35%. During the epidemic, many businesses and users have posted travel guides about Hulunbuir on various social media and tourism platforms, using pictures, text, and videos of grassland scenery and local customs experiences. Some businesses have also launched special projects such as reindeer habitat camping during tourism live broadcasts, attracting a large number of tourists' attention and inquiries. With the arrival of summer, grassland destinations such as Hulunbuir are about to enter the peak season, and the large amount of online tourism assets accumulated during the epidemic will bring more visitors to the local area. During the epidemic, Sanya Yalong Bay, the Potala Palace, and Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which received high online attention, were all on the list. Unlike most of the scenic spots during the epidemic, these scenic spots with high attention or high "careless planting" were widely spread on tourism platforms and social networks. From pictures and texts, videos to live broadcasts, the content was very rich. The growth rate of natural scenic spots is rapid, and the popularity of tourism around the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta has been reported. Under the influence of the epidemic, Chinese tourists are more inclined to choose natural scenic spots. On the one hand, these scenic spots have open terrain, mainly outdoor activities, and higher safety. On the other hand, urban residents who have had to reduce their travel during the epidemic are also more eager to get close to nature, breathe fresh air from the mountains, rivers, and enjoy flowers and delicious food. On the list of TPI index increases for scenic spots in Northeast China, Benxi Grand Canyon in Liaoning Province became the biggest dark horse, with a TPI index increase of 173%. Benxi Grand Canyon is located in the southern suburbs of Benxi City. During the epidemic, Benxi Grand Canyon was also temporarily closed for epidemic prevention. After the reopening of the park on April 2, the scenic spot launched a free ticket activity for one month, attracting a large number of local tourists to go for leisure and play. The eight online red card punching points designed in the scenic spot are very suitable for tourists to take photos and small videos and share them on content platforms such as Tiktok and Mafengwo. The fastest growing TPI index scenic spot in the northwest region is Foping Panda Valley, which is located in the Qinling Giant Panda Corridor and Guanyin Mountain Nature Reserve. The scenic area has peaks and ridges, clear streams, unique rocks, and lush forests, making it a great place for nearby tourists to escape the heat and cool off. Compared to the mountains and forests that northern tourists love, southern tourists prefer water friendly scenic spots. Xianlu Island is the scenic spot with the highest increase in TPI index in southern China. Not only can you enjoy the flowers and water on the island, but you can also enjoy local specialties such as goose pot, sauna fish, and mud boiled chicken from Foshan. The misty Xiaodongjiang River in Chenzhou has transformed from a paradise for photographers to a great place for more tourists to relax and travel. Its TPI index has risen by 95%, ranking first in Central China. In the North China region, the TPI index of Beijing International Flower Port rose by 907%, ranking at the top of the regional scenic spot price increase list. The main audience of this scenic spot comes from local residents in Beijing. Beijing tourists with limited travel come here on weekends to enjoy flowers and go for an outing, and engage in a lot of interaction and discussion online. Another popular destination among tourists is the Manhua Manor in Chengdu, which boasts a garden full of blooming flowers throughout the year, as well as numerous parent-child and fashionable entertainment activities, making it a popular check-in spot for locals.

"The Abandoned Asia" is the only cultural attraction that occupies the top spot in the region. Although the true identity of this abandoned carriage has yet to be verified, the densely planted tunnel entrance, rusty rails and old trains have attracted the attention of young literary and artistic people. Many "blockbusters" have been filmed here, and the TPI index rose 598% in the second quarter.

In terms of destinations, this TPI index report not only provides the TPI index of major cities across the country, but also takes stock of popular district and county-level destinations in the peripheral tourism market, clearly reflecting the regional characteristics of peripheral tourism development. The report shows that the top ten district and county-level destinations with the most active Chinese tourists are Shunde, Huidong, Kunshan, Deqing, Panyu, Anji, Yuhang, Huiyang, Xiaoshan and Jiangning. Full text of the report: https://galaxy.9yuntu.cn/doc/p6Jbn15jcT0PfSRAiBlQmp?rand=wFTH&code=081ZCoFa1uIJoz0r8oJa1ECol93ZCoFw&state=silenceYuntuDesktop