This year's travel boom for the coming National Day holidays, or the October golden week, is somewhat different from previous year. A growing number of people tend to travel as individuals instead of going as a group member.

It might be appropriate to say that individual tour is taking a foothold in the tourist market for the coming holidays.

After years of traveling boom, tourists begin to take a more cool-headed altitude towards travel at this time of the year. The regular routines, which take a little of everything at tourist spots, seem to become less welcomed.

Individual tours, on the contrary, give tourists plenty of privileges in choosing what they want to see and how long they want to stay. Tourists do not feel lost in a group of people who do not each other and are not driven here or there by tour guides.

While group tours apply to most people, individual tours are favorable among those who are independent and adventurous. People who plan to go to the sea resort or take a shopping spree in Hong Kong or Singapore will be most suitable to pick up an individual tour.

In light of this change, travel agencies in Tianjin launch various individual tours this year that include even some long-haul routes to Beijing, Xiamen, Guiling and Hainan. Once travelers provides key information as when they want to go and where to go, travel agencies will take care of the rest for them including itinerary, hotel reservation, ticket booking, etc.

Analysts say the rising trend of individual tours manifests a diversified, changing market in tourism. It challenges travel agencies' ability to resolve the issue.

(Chinanews.cn September 19, 2005)