Daily Podcast: China’s Domestic Tourism Push

Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at China’s newfound focus on domestic rather than outbound tourism, Intrepid Travel’s push into the U.S. market, and what some hotels are doing to help guests sleep better. 

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Episode Notes

Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

China is still largely restricting inbound and outbound travel, but the country plans for tourism to be a key pillar of its economy going forward — with a greater focus on domestic travel, writes Global Tourism Reporter Lebawit Lily Girma.

Officials in the world’s most populous nation recently released its five-year tourism development plan for 2021-2025, just before Beijing hosts the upcoming Winter Olympics. The report’s digital version contains more references to domestic travel than inbound and outbound visitation as it, among other things, urges cities and rural areas to target local visitors.

However, one tourism marketing executive specializing in China said it’s a positive sign that the country is discussing outbound travel at all. While no timeline is currently in place for a wider reopening, any success China has in containing the threat of Omicron to the Olympics could represent a turning point in the country’s approach to resuming inbound and outbound tourism.

We turn now to Intrepid Travel’s new acquisition. The Australian tour operator has bought U.S.-based company Wildland Trekking in an attempt to make greater inroads in North America, writes Editorial Assistant Rashaad Jorden.

Intrepid CEO James Thornton said his company’s purchase of Wildland, which conducts small group hiking tours, adds 260 trips to its U.S. itinerary. Prior to the move, Intrepid only had 57 offerings for trips in the country, which represented about 5 percent of its total worldwide. Thornton said that Intrepid wouldn’t have been able to significantly expand its product offerings by itself, thus making the opportunity to buy a company with Wildland’s portfolio very appealing.

Wildland co-founder Steve Cundy said Intrepid initiated the acquisition discussions, which his company was receptive to as it’s faced financial difficulties recently. Cundy added that although his company’s eventual goal is to put its products under the Intrepid brand, Wildland will continue to operate under its own brand in the short-term.

We conclude today with a look at how some hotels are working to provide a refreshing wellness experience. How exactly? Several hotel companies are enhancing their strategies to ensure visitors get better sleep, reports Contributor Carley Thornell.

The Rosewood Hotels & Resorts is one such company, having recently unveiled its Alchemy of Sleep experiences that incorporate local customs as well as regionally inspired products such as essential oils and aromatherapy mists. Guests at one Rosewood property can get two personal sleep consultations while visitors at another one can take healing sound bath therapy, which is believed to activate brain waves for a dreamlike state.

Sleep coach Seth Davis said while some people may feel a need to be vigilant upon arriving in a new setting, thus making falling asleep a bit challenging, he believes comforts like the smell of lander and foods promoting better rest can help travelers relax.