Issue #137 - China’s Inter-City Bullet Trains are Reshaping Tourism
From Shanghai to Hong Kong & Guizhou to Changsha, high-speed rail tourism is hot.
Welcome to issue 137 of Asia Travel Re:Set.
This week, I was in Hong Kong - my first visit for almost a year.
During the Easter and Qingming holidays, extra high-speed rail (HSR) services enabled Hong Kongers to travel to more destinations in mainland China. Similarly, those bullet trains brought travellers from further afield in China to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong became connected to China’s HSR system shortly before the pandemic. Now, like cities across China, 350kph inter-city trains are reshaping trip planning.
So, let's follow that train of thought.
This week’s issue is co-written by myself and analyst/researcher Rong Zheng.
Thanks for checking-in.
- “IN THE NEWS”
- China’s Inter-City Bullet Trains are Reshaping Tourism
From Shanghai to Hong Kong & Guizhou to Changsha, HSR tourism is hot.
- Building an Airline Sustainability Strategy
In conversation with Philip See, Malaysia Aviation Group.
“IN THE NEWS”
An excellent article summarising the findings of China Trading Desk’s new Chinese tourism survey by Derek Catron for PhocusWire. It weaves in contexts from Phocuswright’s 2022-2026 China Travel Market Report, which I researched and wrote. Thanks to Derek for including some of my comments on the outlook for Chinese domestic and outbound tourism. Well worth a read. Click HERE.
China’s Inter-City Bullet Trains are Reshaping Tourism
Gary Bowerman & Rong Zheng assess how high-speed rail is influencing trip-planning.
In 1978, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping visited Japan. He returned stating his admiration for its shinkansen high-speed rail (HSR) network, which was the world’s first when it launched in 1964. Thirty years later, in August 2008, China’s first inter-city bullet train was unveiled.
On the eve of the Beijing Olympics, passengers (including Gary, who was reporting on the Games) jumped onboard a 27-minute trip between Beijing and the coastal city of Tianjin. China’s national HSR roll-out would subsequently occur at high-octane pace.
Across the intervening 16 years, China has built-out the world’s largest – and most extensively used – network for trains travelling at up to 350kph. By the end of 2023, HSR track spanned 43,700km. This includes a cross-sea bullet-train bridge in the Taiwan Strait linking Fuzhou, Xiamen and Zhangzhou. Plus, once testing is complete, the new CR450 train, which travels at up to 450kph, will enter service in 2025.
In 2023, Chinese bullet trains carried an estimated 3 billion passengers, around double the total in 2016 (see above graph). Construction continues. In January, the State Council Information Office said the network was “nearly 80% complete.” The ultimate goal is to “foster economic and social development within the country and beyond.”
High-Speed International
The national objective is clear, but the word ‘beyond’ is instructive. It refers to the embryonic internationalisation of China’s railways. Already connected via Kunming to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, the next phase of the China-ASEAN rail network will link Vientiane with the Thai capital Bangkok, although progress has been delayed.
Meanwhile, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam are eager to become HSR nations. And while India is partnering with Japan – the inspiration for China’s bullet trains – to develop its inaugural HSR line, which is slated to begin operations in 2026, South East Asian nations will likely team with China.
Indeed, South East Asia‘s first high-speed railway – which launched last October between Jakarta and Bandung in Indonesia – deploys Chinese rail technology.
Tracking Social Advocacy
Connecting this vast nation – which counts the world’s 2nd-largest air market, after the US – by land is transforming the tourism industry. HSR’s importance extends far beyond supplementing air travel. Bullet trains are more punctual than domestic flights, and more direct. Chinese airports are often some distance from downtown. Train travel is more casual, pricing is stable and the views are more photogenic.
These factors are driving trip-planning choices – and elevating rail travel into a destination marketing tool. During the pandemic, cities nationwide used HSR as a vehicle to attract domestic tourists wishing to explore more of their country without leaving the ground.
Trains became a magnet for social influencers. Lots of Gen Zs post videos about the things they do onboard while travelling to/from a destination. Themed HSR packages are curated in scenic regions during public holidays. Inter-modal trip options, which combine rail tickets with car rental and ride-sharing, are expanding to give young travellers full control over their itineraries.
Golden Tourism Lines in Guizhou, Zibo and the YRD
Rail travel supported the rise of Zibo, in Shandong province, as last spring’s hotspot for Gen Zs. The local authority released a video on Douyin about eating barbecue in its open-air markets. It quickly went viral, and a well-constructed campaign kicked in. A “Special Train for Barbecue” operated on weekends from Jinan to Zibo. As more travellers arrived by train, buses ferried visitors to local attractions and youth hotel rates were slashed for students. Accommodation bookings for the 2023 May holiday increased 800% compared to 2019. Several less-known cities, such as current media darling Tianshui, copied Zibo’s tactics to attract visitors and social video advocates.
The Guinan Railway connects the spectacular landscapes of Guizhou and Guangxi provinces by a 2-hour train ride. Nicknamed the Golden Tourist Line, it attracts young travellers to share their experiences online. Social posts entitled “Checking in to 5 cities in Guangxi in 1 day”, “Travelling 1,300km to 6 beautiful places in 30 hours”, and “Challenge completed to taste all the amazing foods of Guizhou in 24 hours by train” garnered huge numbers of fan engagements.
During the recent Qingming holiday, imagery from locations boasting fields of spring flowers flourished online. The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region – incorporating Shanghai and surrounding provinces – launched 19 seasonal HSR services as part of a springtime travel campaign. The YRD counts 7,100km of HSR track, which it used to promote fast, efficient access to outdoor tourism experiences. From 15 March to 15 April (incorporating Qingming), the YRD forecast 78 million railway passenger trips.
Shaping New Tourism Trends
So, what happens next?
In May, China’s Ministry of Culture & Tourism will launch “a month-long nationwide campaign to promote tourism”. Inter-city bullet trains will form a vital component of the implementation.
South East Asian governments, which frequently publish HSR proposals, and HSR nations from Japan to Indonesia and Spain to Saudi Arabia will closely monitor China’s upcoming May holiday.
Utilising high-speed rail to shape - rather than facilitate - tourism trends was a trending topic in China in 2023.
It’s even hotter in 2024.
Building an Airline Sustainability Strategy
Sustainability targets in aviation are gaining sharper focus, and South East Asian airlines and governments are racing to implement strategies. As Malaysia announces plans for a carbon levy, Hannah chats with Philip See, Group Chief Sustainability Officer of Malaysia Aviation Group.
The discussion dives into key issues around SAF, such as production, procurement and formulation, and whether costs will be passed onto passengers. Philip also talks about social inclusion, such as recruiting and training female engineers and pilots, and environmental issues beyond emissions, such as managing waste.
Listen to ‘Building an Airline Sustainability Strategy, with Philip See, Malaysia Aviation Group’, here:
Or search for The South East Asia Travel Show on any podcast platform
And, that’s a wrap for Issue 137.
The Asia Travel Re:Set newsletter will return next Sunday.
Until then, find me at LinkedIn and The South East Asia Travel Show
Happy travels,
Gary