Chinese travelers switch to small private tours

More domestic travelers are opting for small private tours after COVID-19.

The number of private group tour bookings surged by 385 percent since cross-provincial tourism resumed about a month ago, Trip.com Group reported.

Those small tours usually consist of no more than four travelers each and are increasingly favored by family and young travelers for privacy, freedom and in-depth experiences.

Per capita tour costs are about 4,000 yuan ($581.2). Those born in the 80s and 90s are the major force behind small group tour consumption, according to Trip.com.

The pandemic has enhanced people's safety awareness and private tours can better satisfy their needs through less unnecessary contact and better hygiene standards, says Yu Dan, who runs private tour operations at Trip.com.

Flexible arrangements and better on-tour service are also behind the popularity of small private tours, Yu says.

Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong province are the biggest source of small tour travelers, the travel agency says.

Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu, Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Hainan are most favored by those tourists.

Tourists are showing an unwillingness to be on a tour with strangers, with all the waiting and other compromises, says an official with Jiangsu Wufang International Travel.