Despite travel companies raising prices to gouge tourists during the upcoming Spring Festival, package tours are quickly selling out, according to a survey of several major travel agencies in the city.
While the weeklong holiday is still a month away - it starts from February 1 this year - half of the seats to nearby tropical islands, such as Phuket in Thailand and Redang in Malaysia, have already been sold.
Even Bali is proving to be a hot spot, a surprise since the Indonesian resort's tourism business was all but killed by a trio of bomb blasts in October.
"We conservatively reserved just 50 seats to Bali departing on February 2 and 3, but all were unexpectedly booked," said Yu Weihua with Shanghai China Travel Service Co.
Yu said his company has a waiting list of 60 people hoping to get tickets to travel to the resort. The five-day package tour to Bali costs 7,150 yuan during the holiday, some 1,000 yuan more than normal.
A few new destinations are gaining popularity with local travelers, including Tangalooma in Australia.
"Package tours to Australia used to cover its large cities and the Great Barrier Reef so locals are enthusiastic to try the new resort," said Yu.
The nine-day tour to Australia including a two-day stay in Tangalooma costs 15,000 yuan, some 3,000 yuan more than normal.
While most travelers are planning to go some warm places, a growing number of younger tourists are booking trips to wintry wonderlands to enjoy a little skiing.
Skiing in South Korea and Japan have become very popular this year, with five-day tour to South Korea costing some 4,000 yuan, while that to Japan cost 1,000 to 2,000 yuan more.
It's still too early for travel agencies to book domestic trips for the vacation as airliners haven't announced how much they will increase ticket prices, but tour prices are expected to cost an additional 30 percent during the festival.
Prices will climb from January 28, peak on February 2 and drop around February 5, insiders predicted.
Hainan Island is expected to retain its position as the destination of choice.
"We currently send out 220 locals every day to Hainan, and the number will double during the Spring Festival," said Chen Jisheng with the Shanghai Spring International Travel Service Company.
(eastday.com January 2, 2003)
