Train ticket available 60 days ahead
Nov 15, 2014, 8:46 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 1
Train ticket available 60 days ahead
Starting in December, it will be possible to purchase train tickets 60 days prior to the travel date (increased from the current 20-day period).
What this means for the average tourist is unclear.
I should add that this new measure will actually start on December 1st when the delay is extended to 30 days. Then the delay will be extended by 6 more days on each day until December 6th when it will become 60 days. While this is introduced to facilitate ticket purchases for the Chinese New Year, it was also announced that the 60-day period should remain. But the announcement is not clear and this may just be an experiment for the holidays.
Pros:
-This will benefit travellers who like to plan well ahead and want their tickets settled before arriving in China. Except for major Chinese holidays, we expect that only tourists will buy tickets 60 days ahead as business travellers do not know about their business trips 60 days ahead.
- Under the current system, travellers place an order with us and we buy the tickets at a later date. Now they will generally be able to get their confirmation immediately. It will be easier to make a more precise trip plan.
Cons:
- Very few travellers have firm plans and book their tickets 60 days ahead. While some clients contact us 6-9 months ahead to order tickets, most do so within 30 days. Generally travellers do not even have their visa 60 days prior to their trip in China and are reluctant to buy train tickets before securing the visa.
- For tourists or expats, it will be even more difficult to get tickets around major Chinese holidays. For those periods, tickets are often sold out on the day of release. We expect this to continue. Getting tickets for tourists for those dates is already a miracle and often requires to re-arranges their itinerary. Most of the time, tourists are not aware of those holidays and only realize when it is late. Probabilities are that tickets will be sold out when they decide to buy their tickets.
One thing to watch is how this will change the behaviour of Chinese travellers. Most train users are Chinese. Foreign tourists represent a small fraction of 1% of the traffic. It is not so long ago that Chinese would never book ahead. They used to buy their tickets upon arrival at the train station or the airport. With the increased penetration of the internet, including on smart phones, more and more Chinese travellers book ahead. The introduction of online purchases of train tickets a few years ago already changed how and when Chinese buy their tickets. So it is hard to predict how this may also effect when they buy their tickets and what the tickets availability will be like, say, 30 days before travel date.
Helen
What this means for the average tourist is unclear.
I should add that this new measure will actually start on December 1st when the delay is extended to 30 days. Then the delay will be extended by 6 more days on each day until December 6th when it will become 60 days. While this is introduced to facilitate ticket purchases for the Chinese New Year, it was also announced that the 60-day period should remain. But the announcement is not clear and this may just be an experiment for the holidays.
Pros:
-This will benefit travellers who like to plan well ahead and want their tickets settled before arriving in China. Except for major Chinese holidays, we expect that only tourists will buy tickets 60 days ahead as business travellers do not know about their business trips 60 days ahead.
- Under the current system, travellers place an order with us and we buy the tickets at a later date. Now they will generally be able to get their confirmation immediately. It will be easier to make a more precise trip plan.
Cons:
- Very few travellers have firm plans and book their tickets 60 days ahead. While some clients contact us 6-9 months ahead to order tickets, most do so within 30 days. Generally travellers do not even have their visa 60 days prior to their trip in China and are reluctant to buy train tickets before securing the visa.
- For tourists or expats, it will be even more difficult to get tickets around major Chinese holidays. For those periods, tickets are often sold out on the day of release. We expect this to continue. Getting tickets for tourists for those dates is already a miracle and often requires to re-arranges their itinerary. Most of the time, tourists are not aware of those holidays and only realize when it is late. Probabilities are that tickets will be sold out when they decide to buy their tickets.
One thing to watch is how this will change the behaviour of Chinese travellers. Most train users are Chinese. Foreign tourists represent a small fraction of 1% of the traffic. It is not so long ago that Chinese would never book ahead. They used to buy their tickets upon arrival at the train station or the airport. With the increased penetration of the internet, including on smart phones, more and more Chinese travellers book ahead. The introduction of online purchases of train tickets a few years ago already changed how and when Chinese buy their tickets. So it is hard to predict how this may also effect when they buy their tickets and what the tickets availability will be like, say, 30 days before travel date.
Helen
