Source: CCTV.com

02-15-2008 11:05

Prices for plane tickets and package tours have begun to fall, now that the Spring Festival holiday has ended. And the price cuts are expected to continue until the end of the month.

Prices for plane tickets and package tours have begun to fall,  now that the Spring Festival holiday has ended.

It's less than a week after the end of the week-long Spring Festival holiday, and prices for plane tickets have begun falling sharply. This is especially true for flights LEAVING big cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

These flights have enjoyed the highest discount rates. For example, a full price ticket for a flight from Beijing to the southwestern city of Chengdu is 1,440 yuan. But the ticket currently sells for about 430 yuan, about 70 percent off. Flights from Shanghai and Guangzhou are also enjoying discounts of 70 percent.

But with the return of passengers to cities after the holiday, airfare is still pretty expensive for flights TO major cities.

One travel agent said "Ticket prices will remain high for the popular flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen until the end of February."

Meanwhile, travel agencies in Shanghai are advertising lower prices for package tours after the Spring Festival holiday, with an average discount of ten to thirty percent.

The cost of overseas tours is also on the decline, with prices for tours to Japan and Australia dropping by ten to twenty percent.

Travel agents say, with the falling travel costs and rising temperatures, the market will pick up in March. Many senior citizens, students and workers are expected to choose domestic, short-haul routes at that time.

Editor:Xiong Qu