China’s May Day Holiday Travel Bookings Surge Amid Multiple Driving Factors

As the May Day holiday approaches, a growing number of tourists have finalised their travel plans. On April 14th, the reporter learned from multiple online travel platforms and travel agencies that driven by factors such as the return of tourists originally planning to travel to the Middle East, spring vacations and leave combining, the year-on-year growth of May Day travel bookings has become more remarkable, according to China.org.cn.

Behind the rising travel enthusiasm lies the return of outbound tourists bound for the Middle East and the popularity of leave combining. Insiders noted that affected by the international situation, some tourists originally planning to visit the Middle East have turned their attention to domestic destinations, especially in western China such as Xinjiang, Yunnan and Sichuan, as reported by China News Service.

Regarding holiday duration, combining 4 days of leave before or after the May Day holiday can form a 10-day long vacation, creating favorable conditions for long-distance in-depth travel. In addition, spring vacations in some primary and secondary schools are connected with the May Day holiday, forming another "3+5" super-long vacation after the Spring Festival.

Zhang Xiaolong, person in charge of the car rental market, stated that in terms of travel rhythm, most domestic tourists choose to combine 1-2 days of leave, with the travel peak concentrated on April 29th and 30th. Most domestic tourists travel for 3-5 days, mainly short and medium-distance trips. According to Tuniu data, the national May Day travel boom will start on April 30th and reach its peak on May 1st.

Driven by these factors, data from platforms and travel agencies has seen significant growth. Li Mengran, Media Public Relations Manager of Utour Group, said that from Utour’s retail data, the GMV during the May Day holiday increased by 53% year-on-year, and the product richness increased by 150% year-on-year.

Han Jie, Chairman of China Youth Travel Service Aoyou Technology Development Co., Ltd., mentioned that since this week, the consultation and booking volume of May Day domestic travel at CYT Aoyou has climbed rapidly, increasing by about 10% year-on-year. Tuniu data also showed that the number of bookings for domestic package travel products during the May Day period increased by 10% year-on-year.

Beijing leads the list of most popular May Day domestic travel destinations. According to Qunar Travel, as of April 14th, the booking volume of hotels in popular business districts in Beijing during the May Day holiday increased by nearly 30% year-on-year. Zhao Nan, General Manager of the Industry Development Department of TravelSky, said that as of April 14th, the number of domestic air tickets to Beijing during the May Day holiday has exceeded 220,000.

Besides traditional popular destinations, niche destinations such as Rizhao, Lishui, Kaifeng and Beihai have also gained popularity. Tuniu data showed that the number of tourists to these destinations increased significantly year-on-year. Han Jie added that consulting volume for niche tourist spots such as Garzê in Sichuan and Zhangzhou in Fujian has also surged, becoming new choices for young people.

With train tickets for the May Day holiday to go on sale on April 16th, insiders said domestic travel will usher in another booking peak. Zhou Weihong, Deputy General Manager of Chunqiu Travel, noted that travel agencies have enriched product supplies, including flower viewing, intangible cultural heritage experiences and pet-friendly trips to meet tourists’ diverse needs.