Valentine's Day heartens sector with surge of reservations

A burgeoning "romance economy" in China has shown consumers' strong demand for romantic and leisurely lifestyles.

On Valentine's Day, which fell on Tuesday, many couples chose to celebrate it with a romantic dinner.

As of Monday, searches for keywords related to "dating restaurants" on Meituan app increased 349 percent year-on-year. And the number of restaurant reservations booked in advance for the day also increased significantly compared with the same period of 2022. Shanghai had the highest booking rate in the country, followed by Beijing, according to Meituan.

Many restaurants offered special services on Valentine's Day, such as using rose petals to decorate tables and gifting desserts. Restaurants serving Western cuisine and Japanese food were popular choices for couples to go on dates.

Time-honored Chinese brands and tea bars have become choices among the younger generation, with the rise of guochao — a consumption trend wherein youths select products with Chinese cultural elements.

In addition to eating out, many young couples have traveled abroad to celebrate Valentine's Day after China relaxed COVID-19 prevention measures. After the Spring Festival holiday, cheaper flights and hotels have provided a good opportunity for them to make romantic trips.

According to online travel platform Ctrip, from Feb 11 to 12, outbound air ticket orders and overseas hotel bookings increased nearly four times year-on-year.

Theme parks including Hong Kong Disneyland, Universal Studios Singapore and Macao Tower were the most popular destinations among couples. This was followed by museums, shows and exhibitions. Theme parks in China also launched diverse activities like balloon releases and firework shows to fuel the day of love.

Data from Ctrip showed that Thailand became the biggest winner in overseas hotel bookings for Valentine's Day, with Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya ranking among the top 10 overseas cities for weekend bookings.

Apart from those who enjoyed exotic scenery at beach resorts with coconut trees, some tourists headed to Iceland to enjoy the aurora borealis in the polar region.

Given the backdrop of soaring domestic tourism and recovering outbound tourism, the predominance of female customers is obvious in the "romance economy", according to Ctrip. Women accounted for more than 53 percent of total customers who booked domestic hotels from Feb 11 to 12. Women also spent more money with their booking fees nearly 30 percent higher than those of male customers.

The gold jewelry industry also witnessed robust sales during Valentine's Day. Some jewelers carried over discounts from the Spring Festival holiday and launched new activities in line with the day of love. Since 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, many consumers have bought themed jewelry as gifts.

Interestingly, the "single economy" also sparkled on Valentine's Day, with esports and pet hotels becoming top choices for single people. Official statistics showed that the number of single adults in China exceeded 240 million in 2022.

Online travel agency LY.com said esports hotels saw an increase in orders more than hotels for couples on Valentine's Day.

Some esports hotels have set up large screens in public areas for fans to watch games. Since many people play or watch games at night, the hotels have different checkout policies compared with traditional hotels.

Fueled by the popularity of gaming and a trend of diversification in the hotel sector in China, the number of esports hotels is predicted to exceed 20,000 by the end of this year, according to a report by online travel company Tongcheng Elong's research institute.

Pet hotel orders also surged significantly on Valentine's Day. In 2021, about 58.4 percent of single people in China had a pet, according to market observer iiMedia Research.