[Industry] How do camps and scenic spots adapt to the characteristics and trends of self-driving tourism

Self-driving travel is a type of self-help travel, and it is a new form of travel that is different from traditional group tours. Self-driving tourism provides tourists with flexible space in terms of choosing objects, participating in programs and experiencing freedom. Self-driving tour itself has inherent characteristics such as freedom and personalization, flexibility and comfort, selectivity and seasonality, and has its own characteristics and charm compared with traditional group participation. So how do tourist destinations such as scenic spots, camps, and even relevant government departments adapt to this characteristic and trend when self-driving tours are becoming more and more developed? This article attempts to explore.

To put it simply, a self-driving tour is a trip by driving a car by yourself. In 2006, the first China self-driving tour summit forum had a definition: “Self-driving tour is an organized and planned form of tourism that uses self-driving cars as the main means of transportation.” The rise of self-driving tours is in line with the psychology of the younger generation. They are unwilling to be restrained and pursue independence of personality and freedom of mind, and self-driving tours just fill this need.

The literal meaning of self-driving car is: the driver is the tourist himself, and the vehicles include cars, mainly cars, off-road vehicles, RVs, motorcycles and bicycles, etc., which are mainly privately owned, and can also be borrowed, leased and other methods; The purpose is diverse and arbitrary, and the final decision rests with the car owner or the travel team. It can be seen that tourism is one of the activities of self-driving cars. When self-driving cars are used as a means of tourism, there will be the following changes. The driver can be the owner or his companions, and the main purpose of driving is leisure travel, not for work, transportation and other reasons; Self-driving travel has the nature of private travel, not public travel.

Status quo of domestic self-driving tour industry

According to the “China Self-driving Tour Annual Development Report” (renamed “China’s self-driving cars, caravans and camping tourism development” since 2017) compiled every year by the China Tourist Vehicles Association and the Tourism Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and other institutions “Report”) shows that in 2016, the number of self-driving tourists in China grew steadily, with a total of 2.64 billion person-times, an increase of 12.8% over the previous year, accounting for 59.5% of the total number of domestic tourists. There are about 30,000 various automobile clubs in my country, and there are about 3,200 clubs specializing in self-driving tours. my country’s caravan sales volume is about 8,000, and the inventory is about 45,000.

Prediction of the scale of the domestic self-driving tour market

According to relevant research, the calculation method of the industry scale is to divide the per capita consumption of self-driving tours according to the travel distance. It is assumed that 70% of tourists travel within 300 kilometers in a single trip each year, and 20% and 20% of tourists travel between 300 and 1000 kilometers and more than 1000 kilometers respectively. 10%, the per capita consumption is about 1285 yuan. The CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of my country’s private car ownership in the past 10 years is about 20%. According to statistics, about 60% of private car users choose to travel by car, and the per capita travel frequency is 5.4 times per year. Through the sensitivity test, it is conservatively estimated that the corresponding self-driving tour market size in 2017 and 2020 will be about 740 billion and 1.55 trillion respectively, and the industry will grow at a compound growth rate of about 28% per year.

Micro-Characteristics of Self-driving Tour Mode

Self-driving travel is a type of self-help travel, and it is a new form of travel that is different from traditional group tours. Self-driving tourism provides tourists with enough flexible space in terms of choosing objects, participating in programs and experiencing freedom. Compared with the way of participating in the group, it has its own characteristics and charm.

At the micro level, different from traditional group tours, the characteristics of self-driving tours are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

a Independent arrangements: self-driving tourists usually do not need travel agencies to arrange travel itineraries, and have great autonomy in the choice of tourist destinations, arrival and stay time, and board and lodging arrangements. Hotels, catering and other industries in tourist destinations with large traffic modes such as high-speed rail and buses have created challenges. It may be common that the scheduled time is not in place.

b Regional Progression: For self-driving tourists, tourism is a process of learning and accumulating experience. Attempts to travel first start from the surrounding areas where self-driving tourists live, and gradually radiate farther away. Therefore, scenic spots and camps around areas with large populations need to be fully prepared, and self-driving tourists will be the main customers of these tourist destinations.

c Short cycle: China’s two-day weekly holiday and the two major Golden Week holidays make self-driving travel quite restricted. Regional self-driving travel can only be short-term, that is, mainly . However, once the annual leave system is generally implemented, this characteristic will also change, and self-driving tours of up to 2 to 3 weeks, such as summer family travel activities, will also become popular.

d Small group: The main types of private non-commercial cars are cars that can carry 4 to 5 people (such as cars, off-road vehicles, etc.). for different.

e Diversity of needs: There are many kinds of cars, and there are all kinds of people. The consumption habits of self-driving tourists will vary with factors such as their income, education level, age, region, and travel purpose. In tourism consumption, it may be multiple combinations of variables such as time, cost, quality and special requirements, which is also significantly different from group tourism.

f Landing and self-driving has expanded the scope of travel: With the rapid development of China’s current aviation, especially high-speed rail, the mode of landing and self-driving in different places that has emerged in recent years has brought new characteristics and trends of self-driving travel. The convenience and quickness of large traffic to solve long-distance and the autonomous diversity of self-driving cars are perfectly combined. Tourists can go to farther places with the same time in a short weekend of 2 to 3 days and several holidays. For example, tourists in Guangzhou can fly to Xining in 3 hours, rent a car directly at the airport, and then spend two days traveling by car to Riyue Mountain, Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, Qilian Mountain and other places, and then drive back to the airport to return the car , the plane returned to Guangzhou.

Macro-Typical features of the overall industrial chain structure of self-driving tours

a Self-driving travel products are highly personalized and fragmented, so the upstream supply chain is heavy, and the resources cover transportation, tourist destinations, accommodation and various themed activities.

b. During self-driving tours, the consumption of tourists is highly random, and the offline service chain is long. It is difficult to form a standardized service process. In the past, the pre-booked group purchase model based on tour groups also needs to be changed accordingly.

c Self-driving travel focuses on the depth, experience and stronger social attributes of travel. On the basis of a certain community of users, self-driving travel service providers expand their own value chains through organization, travel, and sharing to guide in-depth tourism consumption.

How do scenic spots and campsites adapt to the characteristics of self-driving tours

Based on the characteristics and trends of the self-driving tour and the self-driving tour industry chain at the micro level above, scenic spots and camps should focus on the following levels. At the same time, it is not limited to scenic spots and camps. Comprehensive aspects such as environment and services should also be improved as necessary.

a At the government level: Co-construction and promotion of the whole area, adapting to the autonomy and randomness of self-driving tours, adjustments need to be made at the height of global tourism. The government of the scenic spot and the location of the camp should take the whole local area as a so-called “scenic spot” to carry out construction, from When tourists enter the high-speed toll gate and high-speed service station, the service must be improved in detail. After that, the signs and instructions of the driving route, the setting of gas stations, and the promotion of hotels should all be reflected. The roads, restaurants, and parking lot settings all need to be improved. The overall operation of restaurants, hotels, and souvenir shops in the local area should be managed comprehensively and without dead ends. Disputes can be handled in conjunction with industry and commerce, taxation, price, and public security at any time to avoid Negative incidents such as Qingdao prawns, high-priced meals in Hainan, slaughter of tourists in Lijiang, and Xuexiang in Heilongjiang appeared. In today’s era of popular self-media, such incidents will spread rapidly, causing a devastating blow to the local tourism industry and the image of the city, which may be difficult to reverse in the next few decades.

Because of work, the author goes to more than 100 cities in China every year. From the perspective of reality, many local governments attach great importance to these tasks, such as the management of taxis after getting off the plane and the high-speed rail, the improvement of the environment around the airport station, and the improvement of the landscape. The construction of road convenience, the language and service attitude of the service personnel at the road toll gate are very good, including the service content, attitude, and explanation of some expressway service areas before entering the city.

b Comprehensive promotion and marketing: From a practical point of view, it is best to carry out comprehensive promotion to adapt to the characteristics of self-driving tourism. In addition to visiting scenic spots and scenic spots, self-driving tourists are more willing to experience the local customs. In addition to the traditional promotion of the overall image of the national and local TV stations, airports, and high-speed rail stations, the government should also carry out promotion in a way that is closer to people’s hearts, such as “10 Streets You Should Go to in Xiamen” and “Hidden in the Deep Alley” Articles, videos, etc. from the first perspective of tourists such as “30 Snack Bars in Hangzhou” are very necessary.

c Catering and hotel levels: Since self-driving tourists are no longer the traditional way of group tours, they usually choose and book hotels with much more care. They will refer to some online travel notes, such as Ctrip, Qunar, Tongcheng, Dianping, The evaluations of word-of-mouth, etc., and some negative comments in the past are very concerned about tourists. Unless it is absolutely necessary, tourists will try to avoid going to such restaurants and hotels. At the same time, we pay attention to the details of catering, the environment, the quality of dishes, the attitude of service, and the publicity of word of mouth. The hotel improves every detail in hygiene, bathing facilities, bedding, linen, service facilities, and service personnel. At the same time, give feedback as soon as possible to all kinds of comments and opinions generated on most OTA and other platforms, and rectify and reply to negative opinions as soon as possible, and do not ignore them, otherwise, these self-driving tourists will refuse to make reservations.

d At the level of scenic spots and camps: scenic spots and camps are actually the most concentrated destinations for self-driving tourists, and the improvement work that needs to be done should be more detailed, and all kinds of facilities must be in place. Elegant and clean scenic spot environment, ergonomic chairs, leisure facilities, restrooms, etc. Some details need to be in place. For example, in the south where there is a lot of rainfall, more rest spaces that can shelter from wind, rain and sun should be set up. Stools should also be placed under trees and corridors. The bathroom layout should also be in place. You can’t see one after walking for half an hour, and the bathroom is cleaned frequently to keep it clean. Signboards and other guidance systems have an appropriate height and font size, and road lighting settings are reasonable. In many scenic spots, it is often seen that the lawn lights are very dazzling, and it is impossible to see the ground at night.

epilogue

In short, from the perspective of the characteristics and trends of self-driving tours, scenic spots, camps and even local government authorities should stand on the perspective of tourists, and improve and improve the local tourism-related elements in every detail in order to truly attract tourists and make them The real purpose is for tourists who have not come to come, and tourists who have been here to come repeatedly. In the current tourism market, the most important thing is to retain the hearts of tourists.