Shanghai DRT 2023 highlights and White Paper release
"With a diverse portfolio of international diving adventures and the unveiling of the long-awaited Dive Tourism Data White Paper 2023, HelloDive sets the stage for the revival of the global Chinese diving tourism market."
HelloDive celebrated a remarkable presence at the 2023 Shanghai Dive Resort and Travel (DRT) Expo, marking a significant milestone in our journey to revive diving tourism post-COVID-19. This event, renowned as the largest dive show in Asia, took place from July 21 to July 23 at The Shanghai World Expo Centre, serving as a beacon of hope and revival for the travel and diving industry as the world gradually emerges from the pandemic.
HelloDive's booth, a vibrant hub of activity at the expo, stood out as the premier one-stop destination for divers seeking international diving adventures. From the mesmerising waters of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to the thrilling shark dives in Fiji, HelloDive presented a diverse portfolio of diving packages catering to every adventurer's dream. Additionally, our feature of Antarctica drysuit ice diving was an exclusive highlight of the entire show.
We greatly appreciated the support from our partners: Entrada Travel Group, Tourism Fiji, and Aurora Expeditions, whose collaboration and dedication contributed to our successful presence at the expo.
Unveiling dive tourism data insights
Simon, the founder of HelloDive, was invited as a guest speaker at the event. During his session, he unveiled the long-awaited Dive Tourism Data White Paper 2023*, a comprehensive analysis of the post-pandemic trends in the Chinese diving tourism market.
Among the key findings, the data revealed that the most highly-anticipated diving destinations for the first half of 2023 included the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and Thailand. These Asian countries accounted for the majority of attention from the China diving community.
A comparison of age demographics between 2020 and 2023 reveals intriguing trends. During this period, there was an 18% decline in interest among the 18-24 age group, while the 25-34 age category experienced a notable 10% increase. This shift may suggest that individuals who were once in the 18-24 bracket have matured but still maintain a strong interest in diving. However, due to limited opportunities for the younger age group to engage in diving during the pandemic, this decline may represent untapped growth potential in the post-pandemic era.
Unsurprisingly, the Dive Tourism Data White Paper 2023 highlighted that Chinese divers, primarily hailing from first and second-tier cities such as Jiangsu, Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang, displayed the strongest interest in overseas diving experiences.
HelloDive's global user base includes Chinese divers living abroad who rely on the platform to research for information into their next diving adventures, accounting for a significant 50% of the website's traffic. These overseas Chinese divers exhibit a keen interest in regions like Southeast Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe. However, it's worth noting that despite the strong demand, the availability of Chinese instructors in many Western countries remains limited. Such a shortage highlights the significant room for growth within the overall Chinese adventurous tourism market.
Forging ahead in 2024 dive shows
HelloDive's participation at the 2023 Shanghai DRT Dive Show underscored our commitment to not only providing diverse and thrilling diving experiences but also contributing valuable insights to the diving community. As the world heals and travel restrictions continue to ease, HelloDive is poised to lead the way in revitalising the global diving tourism industry.
We're excited to share that we've already secured our presence at the upcoming 2024 shows and look forward to collaborating with you or seeing you there:
● DRT Show Shanghai: 22-24 March, 2024
● DRT Show Beijing: 16-18 August, 2024
*The Dive Tourism Data White Paper 2023 is a report based on HelloDive.com data collected from 1st January 2023 to 30th June 2023. Please note that the data presented here is exclusive to HelloDive and should be regarded as a reference rather than a representation of the entire Chinese diving tourism market. To access the report in Chinese, please visit www.hellodive.com.