Text: A collection of daily anecdotes
Edited by a collection of daily anecdotes
Have you ever wondered why travel abroad is suddenly so popular now? In the spring of 2024, even before the May Day holiday, China's visa processing points are already overcrowded. Needless to say, after a long period of lockdowns and restrictions, people's desire to go out has been overwhelming.
According to unified data, the number of people who went abroad in the first quarter alone portends a staggering 130 million for the year. Behind this is not only the desire for new things, but also the direct embodiment of economic recovery and the improvement of consumption power. It can be seen that people's steps to go abroad are not untargeted, but have their deep social and economic foundations.
You may not have noticed that most people opt for a tourist visa. Why? It's very simple, because foreign tourism is really cost-effective. Considering that the tickets for domestic 5A-level scenic spots are often hundreds of yuan, while many foreign natural scenic spots, such as national parks in the United States and characteristic towns in Europe, are free or only charge a small maintenance fee, this contrast makes many people choose to pick up their passports and go to the wider world.
With the deepening of globalization, movies, music, and animation from Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the United States have long entered everyone's hearts. Many young people now choose where to travel, not only to have fun, but also to see the real scenes in those cultural works and experience the places where those stories take place.
Let's talk about domestic tourism. Especially during the long holiday, the domestic tourist attractions are called a crowd, and sometimes it is simply breathless. In contrast, the attractions abroad are much less crowded, and they are comfortable and less crowded. This mentality of wanting a comfortable and tranquil travel experience naturally leads more people to choose to travel abroad.
Large-scale travel by Chinese citizens means a huge outflow of funds. Everyone who goes abroad, from visa fees and airfares to hotels and meals, every link is money. If you think about it, 130 million trips abroad, even if it costs only 1,000 yuan per person, that's 130 billion! That's just a conservative estimate.
In fact, this money can flow into the domestic market to help the development of local tourism and related industries. But now, most of the money is spent on attractions, hotels, and shops abroad. This outflow of funds is indeed a challenge for the domestic economy, especially for those regions and businesses that rely on tourism for their food.
From a social point of view, traveling abroad is not just about seeing beautiful scenery. It is also a cultural exchange, a good opportunity to broaden your horizons and enhance understanding. Once you go to other countries in person, you will see things from a different perspective, and you will no longer experience the way of life that you are familiar with, which in itself is a very meaningful learning and education.
Large-scale travel abroad can sometimes exacerbate the sense of disparity between us and foreign countries in some ways. When people see that something is doing better abroad, they are prone to comparison or dissatisfaction, which may make them feel less satisfied with the situation at home.
Traveling abroad does give you the opportunity to experience a foreign culture in depth, and it is a great learning opportunity. But if accepted unfiltered, it can lead to cultural assimilation and even the blurring of cultural identity. Especially for young people, they are easily attracted to foreign movies, music, food, and lifestyle. If this continues, we have to ask, will this affect their cultural identity?
Nowadays, traveling abroad has become a craze, and many people would rather pay out of their pockets to go abroad. This is not just because of curiosity, but also because our domestic tourism industry needs to be improved. Come to think of it, domestic attractions are crowded, tickets are hard to find and expensive, and the quality of service is uneven, these problems are quite a headache.
This phenomenon should be a wake-up call for the domestic tourism industry, as well as an opportunity for reflection and self-improvement. It is not only necessary to improve the quality of service, but also to work the management and price strategy of scenic spots, so that tourists feel that they are worth their money, so that they are willing to stay in China and enjoy the beautiful landscape.
This is not only a reminder that in this tide of globalization, we must find our own unique selling point, cultural self-confidence and economic development in parallel, in order to truly win the future.
Do you say that this heat wave of overseas travel is a joke, or is it the trend of the times? Opportunity or challenge?