Themes of dreams

"The customers have already started changing behaviors, whether we're ready or not," says Zhang Jie, general manager of Ctrip's themed-travel business.

A 2018 McKinsey & Co report on Chinese outbound tourists identified eight experience-seeking categories, such as adventure, stressrelease and shopping.

"But there were only three such categories in 2015," Zhang says.

An ecotourism package featuring cabin stays, bird-watching and leaf collecting in Africa has been fully booked a dozen times since Ctrip began offering it last year.

"But we didn't dare develop similar products years ago because we were afraid travelers wouldn't book them," Zhang says.

"It says a lot about how Chinese have developed more diverse travel needs. They're paying greater attention to details and experiences."

The booking volume for themed tours has doubled annually every year since Ctrip launched a themed-travel platform in 2015, says Zhang Yi, who works for the platform.

Bookings surged by 150 percent and offerings increased by over 50 percent in the first two months of this year.

South Africa's wilderness, polar regions, Europe's "hidden history" and sports events are popular attractions.