Routes
Mixed Messages from China
October is a month of mixed signals in China for retail sales in the important travel retail product sectors. The central message is one of higher spe.....
Sunglasses Category Retail Reach
One of the key inputs to any business plan is passenger reach by travel retailer.In our November Sunglasses category bulletin Air4casts examines the f.....
3.7 Million Chinese Citizens Visited Hong Kong in August
Released today, the August data for the arrival of Chinese citizens into Hong Kong, when compared with 2023, shows a 31% increase in air passengers an.....
China Airports; Appreciably Better in July
After the disappointments of May and June the July results for China's international airports make much better reading. International Passengers .....
Hainan Island Liquor Sales up 26% in May
Just released from the Hainan Provincial government the May retail sales numbers for the Liquor sector should give encouragement to brand owners in th.....
Chinese Spending in Macau Hits Record Heights In Q1
In Q1 of this year spending on shopping by 6.3 million Chinese visitors to Macau, and visitors include both overnight and day visitors arriving by a.....
USA Market Visitor Profile: Is the Indian Visitor Hype Just That?
Air4casts’ second half tourism outlook for the USA focuses on visitors from the Asia/Pacific region.
It is certainly the case that tourists f.....
Hong Kong: Heading in the Wrong Direction
In November last year HKG hit the 75% recovery mark; it had been growing steadily if not hugely since a modest turning point in August. But since the .....
Almost There - South Korea Hits 96% of 2019
With South Korea’s March airport passenger actuals already uploaded for clients in the daily updated Airports 1500 module, today’s Air4cas.....
The Hainan Liquor Forecast
Tracking the resort’s liquor sales pre and post Covid raises the question which way for the 2024/2025 time span?
The history sh.....
Hainan Island Breaks all Records in February
Just released, the official February visitor and retail sales data for Hainan Island will hearten everyone that has invested in the island’s phe.....
Chinese Visitors Desert Taiwan
With the latest official visitor numbers to Taiwan showing mainland Chinese tourists 87% lower than they were pre-pandemic today’s Air4casts bul.....
Forecast Update: March 2024
The latest forecasts have today been uploaded to client sites.
The Chinese appetite for domestic travel over the Lunar New Year holiday has hit a n.....
The Affluent Chinese Traveller Survey
Back after the Covid years, the Air4casts quarterly rolling survey of 1000 affluent Chinese travellers returned in full in Quarter 4 of last year to t.....
Year of the Dragon Breaks all Hainan Records
The best Chinese New Year since records began is the message from Hainan’s biggest airport, Haikou Meilan. Passenger numbers at the airport this.....
Forecast Update: December 2023
The December forecast revision contains some elements of note relating, for the most part, to the immediate outlook for international passengers which.....
The Wealthy Chinese and the Chinese Middle Class
The Luxury Shopper Module, previewed here for Cannes 2023, charts the High Net Worth Individuals in China and beyond.
The Wealthy
10.5.....
Luxury Brand Outlets: Where are The 800?
The Luxury Shopper Module, previewed here for Cannes 2023, allows the tracking of some 800 stand-alone outlets:
in just 60 airport terminals, no mo.....
Hainan’s Luxury Sales Boost June’s Retail Performance
Published yesterday Hainan’s June retail sales by category show purchases of Luxury Clothing and Jewellery together hitting USD 155 million for .....
Female Chinese Shoppers Return to South Korea
This was certainly the case in May where the latest inbound visitor numbers show a clear return in both Chinese and Japanese visitors to the pre-pande.....
China and the USA: Premium/Luxury Travel in July
Premium travel is massively lower than it should be, is obviously disproportionally down on the comparable month in 2019 and is not to be explained in.....
The Luxury Shopper 2023 : Premium Chinese Travellers
Next month the number of international, passengers holding premium class tickets, that is Business or First, and departing from airports on the Chines.....
The Luxury Traveller: South Koreans Spend Most
According to a recent study by Morgan Stanley South Koreans are now the world’s biggest spenders on luxury goods.
The inv.....
The Chinese Shopper in Hong Kong
Mainland Chinese visitors to Hong Kong soared to almost 2 million in March and that surge is bringing major demographic changes to the Chinese visitor.....
Chinese Travel Surges to Hainan and Macau
The Air4casts’ ChinaDomestic module is today reporting a major Chinese traveller increase to both key tourist destinations.
Inbound.....
Hainan Island Visitors Soar almost 25% over 2019
Uploaded today to the China Domestic module on client sites, the January and February Hainan tourist numbers are up almost a quarter on the same .....
February Actuals - China Starts to Lift
409 international airports have now declared their February, obviously a shorter month, actuals, which poses questions on three levels:
W.....
Macau Bounces Back with a Roar
A dramatic reversal of fortune took place in Macau in January.
Visitors from the Chinese mainland more than tripled compared with .....
Tracking the Chinese Traveller
With Chinese outbound travel gaining strength Air4casts will, over the coming weeks, analyse each of the key Chinese destination markets.
.....
Forecast Update February 2023
Today’s update, and looking primarily at the full year 2024, is hardly different from the projections developed a month ago and when those proje.....
Chart of the Day - The Asia/Pacific Bounce Back
December results from the region’s biggest airports show some big improvements with airports as diverse as Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney now lead.....
The China International Recovery; January Latest
The recovery is happening but is best described as restrained.
Departing Flights to Sunday 22 January
The latest data for internatio.....
Hainan Year of the Rabbit Travel Just 13% Below 2019…and Catching up Fast
Last week’s data from Hainan’s biggest airport show passenger numbers soaring past half a million in the crucial run-up to Chinese New Yea.....
China’s Domestic Travel Takes Off
What a difference a week makes. While international air travel out of China has remained quiet since the 8th January Covid rules relaxation, dom.....
2023 China Passenger Forecast
The first of the monthly updated 2023 forecast sets has today been uploaded to client sites.
CHINA FOCUS
Necessarily a focus of interest.....
Hainan Now in Real Recovery Mode
Subscribers to the Air4casts ChinaDomestic module are avid watchers of our weekly air passenger numbers from the island’s biggest airport, Haiko.....
October International PAX - Asia/Pacific and the USA
Over 1000 airports are now on the Air4casts system with October PAX actuals. Today’s traffic bulletin examines the contrasting internation.....
Changes in China Policy: Daily International Flights
Continuing this week’s Air4casts is reporting on five important traffic indicators with the third in the series:
Daily Domestic Travel - Read.....
Changes in China Policy: Hong Kong Flight Schedules
This week Air4casts is reporting on five important traffic indicators:
#1 to Watch; Daily Domestic Travel - Yesterday
#2 to Watch; Hong Kong Flight .....
Changes in China Policy; Watch Out for Five Indicators
For the next four days Air4casts will be exploring five important traffic indicators which, taken together and separately, may be interpreted as indic.....
Two October Setbacks for Travel Retail
The last lingering hope that the Communist Party of China might, in the foreseeable future, move towards a more liberal travel policy for its citizens.....
Hainan and Macau Beat the Golden Week Trend
While many regions in China experienced muted domestic air travel levels last week there is better news from both Hainan and Macau.
Overa.....
Hong Kong Gears Up for Travel Surge
With mandatory hotel quarantine for arrivals to Hong Kong now a thing of the past today’s Air4casts bulletin examines the fast moving changes to.....
Is China on the Rebound?
Data, published Friday last, produces some very welcome positives.
Daily Flights
- end September numbers show flight departure.....
Japan’s Changing Airport Nationality Mix
From 11 October foreign tourists will again be able to visit Japan without a visa and without using a travel agency. Today’s Air4casts bulletin .....
China’s Domestic Air Traffic Down 40%
After an encouraging July upswing in domestic air travel on mainland China, August proved problematical.
Once again the Chinese governmen.....
Hainan Begins Latest Road to Recovery
Just in today the latest weekly data for Hainan’s largest airport show an 11% point increase on the previous week. Up to date as of Wednesday 24.....
Hainan’s June Sales Race Ahead
After a Spring of Covid related difficulties Hainan’s offshore sales moved comfortably ahead of May last month, making June the third most succe.....
China Domestics: Good Weekend News
Domestic flight departures this weekend brought more welcome news for China watchers:
✓ Sunday departures jumped by a thousand day to.....
Hainan’s Welcome June Rally
Just in from the island’s largest airport, Haikou Meilan, the June weekly numbers speak for themselves:
✓ this week passenger.....
Hainan’s Retail Sales Back on Track
Whilst Hainan Island’s tourism business was deeply affected by the recent Covid lockdowns, retail sales just published for May show real signs o.....
China’s June Revival
After 3 months of rapid decline China’s domestic air travel market is beginning to emerge from its lockdown induced torpor.
Daily d.....
Asia/Pacific April International Recovery Index
Hard evidence for an international recovery across airports in Asia/Pacific is growing monthly.
The market is two-speed:
✓ in the .....
Which Way China Travel?
A week is a long time in the China domestic travel business.
In the week before Labour Day holiday it seemed entirely possible that in the week fol.....
Asia/Pacific; Internationals in March
International actuals in March brought good news.
Air4casts is presenting the results for 24 countries in the region covering 146 international air.....
China Traffic Woes Accumulate
Yesterday saw commercial flight departures in China reach a new low. At 1758 the comparison with levels achieved just two months ago is stark.&n.....
Top 2021 China Domestic Airport Rankings
With so much focus in Travel Retail on the domestic airports in China, Air4casts’ Chart of the Day lists the top 20 airports in mainland China r.....
Hainan Sales Roared Ahead in February
February’s Hainan retail sales soared again with help from the key Lunar New Year travel surge. While the March performance is likely to.....
Chinese Domestics in Freefall
No China watcher can have missed the recent and rapid rise in Covid cases: 5280 at the March 15 count.
&.....
Omicron hits January Internationals
There are today over 600 airports on the Air4casts system with passenger actuals for January 2022.
Of those 446 have declared their inter.....
The China Forecast Options: International Passengers
It may just be that the Winter Olympics have brought to the forefront of minds the timing of any relaxation in the restrictions on China International.....
Hainan Tourists Improve in January
Data received today from Haikou Meilan airport shows a distinct improvement in domestic air travel to the island this week.
The airport h.....
Omicron Flight Cancellations: Apparent or Real?
Over the holiday period there was a surge in breathless press reports, many of them beginning in the USA, pointing to a an unprecedented level of flig.....
China Snapshot: November Domestic Plummets
Although the sample of declaring domestic airports is presently and necessarily small, 25% of the expected traffic for the month, the numbers ar.....
Hainan Island This Week PLUS
This week’s Hainan PAX numbers have today been uploaded to client websites. Subscribers will see that passengers are down, both on the same week.....
Chinese Domestic Travellers: The September Data
It is welcome news that the sector has recovered strongly in September after a disastrous August.
Sign up here for one of Air4casts’ pe.....
Hainan’s Liquor Sales Double in a Month
Uploaded to client sites today are the official Hainan Island retail sales by category for the month of September and what a month of contrasts it was.....
Haikou Airport Weekly Report
The latest data reported from Haikou airport is now available to subscribers through their respective websites.
The numbers are not enc.....
Hainan October Recovery Challenge
The Chinese holiday season means that, today, Air4casts is able to report on two weeks of air passenger traffic data from .....
Air4casts Launches the China Domestic Module
Have you tried our new ChinaDomestic module?
The new ChinaDomestic module has been developed by Air4casts in response to the need for fast and accu.....
Alcohol Sales Increase by 87% Points
Retail sales in July demonstrated excellent yoy growth. Sales of Alcohol and Tobacco increased 87% points compared with July 2020 and mobile phone.....
Haikou Meilan Update
This week’s Hainan report has been updated with the Haikou Meilan airport passenger data for the week ended Wednesday 18 August 2021.
.....
Day Trips up Threefold
Hainan Island welcomed 5.9 million tourists in June. Of those the biggest increase came from day trippers who increased over 200 percentage .....
The Weekly China Report
This week’s Hainan report has been updated with the latest weekly Haikou Meilan airport passenger data for the week ended Wednesday 21 July .....
Hainan Cosmetic Sales Double Again
Released today by the Hainan Provincial government are the island’s May retail sales by category as well as the tourist performance for the .....
Hainan’s April Sales Up 49% with Tourists Up 135%
Hainan Island’s total retail sales, domestic and duty free, hit USD 3 billion last month, up by almost a half on April 2020 according to the.....
China Domestic Travel in April
The latest domestic passenger data for Chinese airports in April provides an excellent indicator of market developments and trends with one import.....
Hainan Report May 2021
This week’s Hainan report has been updated with the latest data to the week ended Wednesday 5th May 2021. Clients can access the full report.....
Retail Sales Soar 85%
Hainan Island’s total retail sales last month were up 9% points on the levels achieved in February and increased 85% compared with March 202.....
Domestic Air Travel Update March 2021
A central feature of the 400 airports that have, to date, reported their March domestic passenger actuals is the resurgence in the Chinese market .....
Chinese Air PAX up 745% in 15 Days
What a difference two weeks makes. On 12th February China’s airports handled just 162 thousand passengers, a decrease of 90% points on the l.....
Year of the Ox - the Year China Stayed Home
The power of China’s authorities to control mass movement over the Spring Festival period is vividly illustrated by the Ministry of Transpor.....
Hainan Sales Strong in December but Caution for January
Retail sales of cosmetics, fragrances and skincare on Hainan Island together reached almost USD 350 million in December 2020 according to official.....
Tourists Top 9 Million and Cosmetics Sales Soar
The Hainan provincial government’s monthly report for October highlights the extent of the island’s emergence as the key.....
Hainan September Sales by Category
With Hainan Island’s Duty Free sales topping USD 1.63 billion from 1st July to 19 October, today’s Air4casts bulletin examines the drivers.....
Hainan and Its Best Seven Days
Hainan Island’s largest airport, Haikou Meilan, last week had its best 7 days since the start of the pandemic. These latest weekly passenger num.....
Hainan Island Breaks Post Pandemic Records
On Thursday last we reported the good news that Hainan’s travel numbers were progressing steadily week on week.
Today's bulletin goes fur.....
Hainan: Impressive July Performance
With Hainan Island’s duty free shopping spend in the first week of July reaching USD 64 million, Air4casts examines the latest July travel trend.....
China Retail Sales; The Phenomenon of Revenge Shopping
April data for Retail Sales in China, not Travel Retail sales, shows that while a sort of recovery is continuing, expenditure levels are still down on.....
China International Recovery Setback
In response to announcements by national airlines that they intended a rapid return to fuller international schedules, the Chinese Civil Aviation Auth.....
Recovery Forecasts: August International Lift-Off
Air4casts have today published the first in their series of Recovery Forecasts to be routinely updated on a monthly basis at a minimum.
.....
China Daily; May Data Confirms the Recovery
The latest passenger numbers, for 12 May and principally domestic passengers, show that the recovery is continuing even after the excitement of the ho.....
China Recovery Watch; May Day Holiday Air Travel Performance
Daily travel data just released from the Chinese government pinpoints what actually happened over the May Day holiday period.
The focus is .....
China Recovery Watch; May Day Recovery Good News
Data just released by Ctrip confirms the expected/hoped for boost in travel demand.
It goes without saying that the continuing limita.....
China Recovery Watching
Today's Air4casts bulletin analyses the domestic and international March airport passenger counts from China's top airports.
.....
China Domestic Recovery Watch; Hotel Occupancy
Hotel occupancy rates are one of the best available weekly indicators of any recovery in Chinese domestic travel and this summary provides an invaluab.....
China Domestic Recovery Underway
With most of the world’s international air network now in lockdown, latest April forecast is -92% after Turkey and Russia stopped international .....
China: Domestic Routes Will Lead the Recovery
For the past two months Air4casts has measured the effect of all the travel restrictions, flight cancellations and border closures on the internationa.....