May Day Holiday Catering Market Booms in China, Driven by Cultural and Tourism Surge

China’s catering market witnessed a full-scale boom during the May Day holiday, fueled by a surge in cultural and tourism activities. Scenic spots, business districts and cross-border formats thrived simultaneously, with consumer demand released in a concentrated manner, demonstrating vigorous vitality in the holiday catering economy. Securities Daily reported that affordable prices, quality consumption and experiential socializing have become the mainstream of holiday catering consumption, with major catering stores seeing full passenger flow and steady revenue growth, delivering an impressive performance for the holiday economy.

During the holiday, popular scenic spots across the country maintained high passenger flow, while the catering market operated in an orderly manner. All scenic spots strictly implemented clearly marked prices, strictly controlled food price increases, and continuously optimized the layout of food blocks. Local time-honored brands and characteristic snack shops were extremely popular, with queuing for meals becoming the norm during peak hours. In Chengde, Hebei Province, a time-honored restaurant near the Chengde Mountain Resort saw its daily passenger flow and revenue double compared with usual days, exceeding expectations.

Popular urban business districts became the main positions for holiday catering consumption. Core business districts such as Beijing Daxing Aeon Mall and Chaoyang Hopson One led the city in catering popularity. Inside Beijing Aeon Mall, various catering stores had a steady stream of customers from morning till night, with long queues for seating. Hot pot, new-style milk tea, characteristic set meals and casual snacks were all in great demand, with leading and internet-famous brands such as Banu Tripe Hot Pot, Green Tea Restaurant and Song Hot Pot Factory enjoying high popularity.

The effect of the holiday’s first-store economy was prominent, becoming a new growth pole for catering in business districts. Longge Self-service Hot Pot opened its first Beijing store in Chaoyang Longfor Changying Tianjie on April 29. Benefiting from the May Day holiday, the store saw an average queuing time of more than 2 hours and a table turnover rate of 7 times per day, reflecting the significant pull effect of holiday consumption.

Experiential economy became the core theme of holiday consumption this year, with new ways of consumption such as "gourmet tours" and "post-concert meals" enriching tourists’ holiday dining experience. Haidilao data showed that in the first three days of the holiday, more than 1,300 Haidilao stores nationwide received over 5 million customers, with high table turnover rates in many stores. Many music fans chose to dine at Haidilao after attending concerts at the Bird’s Nest, triggering widespread resonance on social media.

The new cross-border format of "catering +" flourished, continuously expanding new space for holiday consumption. During the holiday, the catering industry closely linked with cultural tourism, outdoor camping, cultural and creative markets and other scenarios, making models such as "catering + cultural tourism check-in" and "catering + outdoor camping" popular. Catering camps around Beijing were almost fully booked, as citizens preferred immersive dining experiences while traveling, and orders for the "catering + camping" model increased significantly year-on-year.

China Daily noted that China’s catering market maintained a sound momentum during the May Day holiday, with stable volume and prices, optimized structure and innovative formats. The standardized upgrading of scenic spots, the expansion of catering in business districts and the continuous innovation of cross-border formats have jointly activated the potential of domestic holiday consumption. The booming catering market not only brightens the holiday atmosphere of cities but also provides solid support for the steady recovery of annual consumption and sustained economic improvement. Looking ahead, the catering industry will continue to deepen cross-border integration and optimize consumption experience to further release consumption potential.