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Q: Will independent travel ever take off here?
There are always stories of travelers who take 8 buses, 6 different trains, or a combination of both to make it home for the New Year. It's obvious people are capable of making their own arrangements. Why do they wear yellow hats, listen to a girl with a loudspeaker, and let themselves be dragged to overpriced 'attractions' all over the country? You'd think, as frugal as they are, they would shun tour groups-but they don't. What gives?
10 years 14 weeks ago in Transport & Travel - China
The tour groups is just how it is done. As frugal as people are, they are also suckers for an easy solution that promises great sights and awesome views and spectacular food. Then when you're one year away from having had some soggy rice dish standing in the rain on some overcrowded mountain, you've forgotten the unhappy memories.
Also. The group tours is a way of not having to deal with coordinating people. Imagine the discussion if 4 people want to go somewhere. When to go. I'll tell you when, when the tour group goes.
And for traveling abroad. Tour groups handles the visa issues and makes sure you don't get into too much contact with strange non-Chinese people and don't risk ending up in a place where they don't serve rice in small bowls.
Short answer. Not in the next 5000 years
ScotsAlan:
Your right about the coordinating thing.
Too many times in the past I have gone for a meal with locals, we leave the eatery and then there is a one hour discussion about what to do next. They usually decide to go home.
Hulk:
One hour discussion on what to do next. WELCOME TO MY LIFE WITH THE IN-LAWS. AOT5OHHTOHOHOTOTOIOOOOOOOOOTHOOTHOTOHOTOHOFDJSLA.. I just walk off and leave them there. If they don't want to come, fine... but I'm going.
Local friends of mine have traveled independently around China, and enjoyed it
But abroad, it is easier for Chinese to be controled through groups. There is also probably the fear of being lost. Even as foreign students, the Chinese travel in groups.
Me and a friend went on a Chinese package tour to Singapore and Malaysia. It was ok apart from spending about 30% of the time being locked in shops as the local Chinese business people tried to sell you gold bars and bird's nests.
But I know lots of Chinese people who travel independently, though as sorrel says, mostly in small groups of 3 or 4. My wife used to do it with her friends. Her friends who are not married still do it. One of them plans to cycle across Taiwan this year with her boyfriend.
Scandinavian:
how can a trip be OK if 30% of it is spent in a shop ?
ScotsAlan:
It was cheap 
.
About 2300 RMB each. That included flights, busses, hotels, food and guides etc for a 5 night trip.
I bought a nice pewter hip flask in the "Royal Selangor factory in KualaLlumpur.
We really just went because we wanted to visit the Petronas Towers. And very impressive they were too.... although for some reason our Chinese companions never even noticed them. They went shopping in the shops below while me and my mate enjoyed the architecture 
Scandinavian:
yeah I must admit my last trip to SG was quite a lot more than that. I think that cost would be two nights max in the hotel I stayed in, but then of course I had the delightful company of bedbugs, you don't get that in the cheap hotels.
Petronas Towers are cool, but they are no match for the big balancing ball in the top of Taipei 101.
I'm seeing more younger people travel independently inside and outside China. It is getting easier to get VISA's for other countries and there are a lot of Chinese travel fourms for independent travelers (my wife uses them a lot before we travel outside China to get ideas on places we want to go.
Of course a lot of people will still use tour groups as it is easier for them....but who would want to get dragged round behind someone with a flag who gets kick-backs from their shopping and eating?
Most of Chinese tourists don't actually care about enjoying their travel, all they need is the trophies: photos, lots of photos, tons of photos, souvenirs, anything that can prove they were there back home. Group tours give you exactly that without you having to use any brain. Most tours aren't even enjoyable in the slighest: early wake up, tight schedule, average food... but it doesn't matter, when you're only looking for facevalue.
Usually, they are much cheaper than independent travel, because a third to a half of the travel will be spent in overpriced sponsored boutiques.
my explanation: 1) no independece;
3 they uncivil4. culture of herd.
exptrapolate your option.
I think the number of independent travelers is on the rise. My roommate just just working for a start-up that plans to go big that specialises in independent travel for Chinese tourists. The site is only in Chinese. And coming up with specialised packages for people who don't want to travel in a group and wear the stupid hat. It looks like this for interest's sake. haiwan.cn. (Not promoting it, I have no vested interest in it)
