China’s May Day holiday a shot in the arm for domestic tourism

Day trippers, holidaymakers take 56.4 million trips on Saturday, more than twice the number from last year, transport ministry says

In Beijing, over 1.1 million people descended on the city’s tourist attractions

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More than 1.1 million people visited attractions like the Forbidden City in Beijing on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:00pm, 2 May 2021Updated: 10:57pm, 2 May 2021

Chinese day trippers and sightseers were out in force on Saturday at the start of the May Day holiday, as the country continues its economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

In Wuhan, the city at the centre of the initial Covid-19 outbreak, almost 1 million people took a trip by train on the day and more than 1 million vehicles hit the roads, causing major congestion on several highways, Hubei Daily reported.

In Beijing, more than 1.1 million people visited the city’s 1,000 or so tourist attractions, an increase of 56 per cent from the same day last year, Beijing Daily reported.

It was a similar story in Hunan province, where 1.35 million visitors descended on 105 tourist attractions – up 170 per cent from last year – and spent 21.9 million yuan (US$3.4 million) – up 167 per cent from 2020, according to a Hunan Daily report.

The province’s top two scenic spots, Yuelu Mountain and Orange Isle, both achieved their maximum capacities, according to figures from booking systems.

Across China, people made more than 56 million trips on Saturday, according to official figures. Photo: EPA-EFE

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