China preps for tourism boom on May Day holiday as early bookings rocket past pre-pandemic levels
- Preliminary figures for this year’s May Day holiday shows a tourism rush is in the making, welcome news for China as it looks to stoke consumption
- Travel sector expects activity to top pre-pandemic numbers, solidifying its role as a reliable driver of growth as other areas lag
Hong Kong is likely to remain one of the more favoured destinations for travellers leaving mainland China during the period – also known as Labour Day, scheduled to last from May 1 to 5 – and Southeast Asia stands to benefit most from any resurgence, research from tourism platforms and statements from analysts showed.
Since last week, domestic airfare orders for the holiday surged 21 per cent compared to last year according to Chinese ticketer Umetrip – a 41 per cent increase over the figure from 2019.
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Hotel orders for smaller county-level cities on Chinese travel platform Ctrip rose 68 per cent year on year, while purchases of tickets for scenic areas in those towns were up 151 per cent during the same period.
The volume of visa fee charges for outbound trips during the May Day holiday has also exceeded the same period in 2019, according to a report released by Ctrip on Tuesday.
“Overall, it is expected that this year’s May Day holiday tourism will see a steady increase based on last year’s high enthusiasm,” Ctrip said.
Hong Kong remains the first choice for mainland outbound travellers due to its accessibility via multiple points of entry and a reputation for security, according to Lin Huanjie, dean of the Institute for Theme Park Studies in China.