Chongqing - Recently, the Double Seventh Festival, renowned as Qixi Festival and the Chinese Valentine's Day, has transformed into a distinctive festival feast connecting businesses and consumers, becoming a pivotal moment that guides consumption trends.
As one of the traditional holidays in China, the Qixi Festival often occurs on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month each year, and people romantically celebrate this festival, showcasing love, romance, and well wishes.
Searches surged over 141% compared to last year
According to data from Meituan, a versatile Chinese online platform providing diverse services like food delivery, travel booking, and restaurant reservations, in the past week, there has been a 118% increase in themed dine-in packages and a 110% increase in leisure and entertainment group purchases related to Qixi Festival.
An increasing number of people chose to book Qixi Festival packages online and reserve seats in advance to ensure a well-organized celebration.
Data from Meituan and Dianping also reveals that in the past week, searches related to Qixi Festival in the Chongqing region have surged by an astonishing 141% compared to the previous year.
Correspondingly, the number of catering and leisure and entertainment businesses offering Qixi Festival-themed group purchase products on Meituan has increased by 106% and 115%, respectively, compared to the previous week.
This year's Qixi Festival has also triggered a surge in demand for wedding customization and banquet reservations. Meituan and Dianping data indicate that in the past month, searches for "wedding banquet hotels" and "photography for marriage registration" have increased by about 30% year-on-year, with a higher proportion of users aged between 25 and 30 years old.
Businesses attract consumers on Meituan's live-streaming platform ahead of the Double Seventh Festival, also known as Qixi Festival. (Photo/cqnews.net)
Chongqing ranked in the top ten Chinese cities for hotel bookings
Theme parks with unique attractions and comprehensive tourist resorts have always been vital venues for Qixi Festival-related consumption. Many integrated holiday destinations have launched a range of colorful nighttime consumer experience activities.
Substantial discount packages have become new engines of consumption. According to Meituan's data, the number of tourist attractions and travel agencies offering "Qixi Festival double tickets" has increased by a remarkable 424% year-on-year.
Meixin Wine Town hosts multiple Double Seventh Festival events. (Photo/cqnews.net)
Multiple attractions in Chongqing have also rolled out various "Qixi Festival Specials." For example, the riverside lodging of B Building in the Meixin Wine Town, located in Fulin District, offered limited-time Qixi Festival discounts, allowing guests staying in designated themed rooms to enjoy a 23% discount.
The relevant person in charge of Meixin Wine Town introduced that the scenic area organizes celebratory events yearly at Qixi Festival, aiming to inherit and promote traditional Chinese culture and allow visitors to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere.
Data released by Ctrip showed that the "romantic economy" effect had resurfaced this year's Qixi Festival, with a significant year-on-year increase in orders for various themed hotel rooms. Many couples choose to spend the festival while traveling, with domestic and overseas vacation destinations like Qinghai, Ningxia, and Singapore being particularly favored.
Chongqing is ranked in the top ten among the popular cities for hotel bookings on Qixi Festival day. Many of these destinations are also popular summer vacation spots and have attracted significant tourist attention.
China Tourism Academy previously forecasted that this summer would be the most popular in the past five years, with an estimated 1.854 billion domestic tourists from June to August, accounting for 28.11% of the total annual domestic tourist trips; achieving a domestic tourism revenue of 1.2 trillion yuan (about USD 165.64 billion), approximately 27.46% of the total yearly domestic tourism revenue.