Tourists visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on May 2, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
During the just-ended May Day holiday, many Chinese traveled domestically or abroad, demonstrating the potential of the country's holiday economy.
Guangzhou, Chongqing and Chengdu are among the top cities in the country in terms of consumer popularity, according to data released by China's popular social media platform WeChat on Sunday. Popular scenic spots such as Thousand Year City Park in Kaifeng City, Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou City, and Wuzhen Town in Jiaxing City were chosen by many tourists. Meanwhile, the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, Thailand, Japan and South Korea were some of the hottest overseas travel destinations during the five-day holiday.
Apart from traditional popular destinations, tourism in the county has evolved into new fashions, injecting new vitality into the tourism market. According to Trip.com's market forecasts, hotel bookings in county-level markets surged 68% year-over-year during the holidays.
The growth rate of tourists in sinking markets, such as small counties and towns, is higher than the growth rate of tourists in first-tier and second-tier markets.
According to Alipay data, many young people are choosing to visit niche tourist attractions in small towns. Compared to the previous year, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Yanbian City, Jilin Province, Diqing City and Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, Guyuan City, Zhongwei City, and Wuzhong City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Ganze City, Sichuan Province, Tianshui City, Gansu Province, and Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province. The largest increase was recorded in cross-regional payments.
Tourists' continued enthusiasm for domestic travel is evidenced by factors such as the amount of short videos published. During the holiday period, the total number of posts on WeChat video accounts increased by 38% year-on-year, and the number of users who started live broadcasting on their video accounts increased by 39% year-on-year, and increased by 59% year-on-year. The total number of short travel videos shared by video accounts is increasing every year. Among them, scenic spots such as West Lake, Tiananmen Square, the Bund, Datang All-day Mall, and Beijing Road Pedestrian Street have become popular destinations for video account users.
Concerts, music festivals, art exhibitions, and other cultural activities have also played an important role in promoting cultural and tourism consumption. According to Ctrip data, searches for concerts, music festivals and related events increased by 23% during the May Day holiday compared to last year. During this period, cities such as Changzhou, Hefei, Beijing, and Yantai received high attention, and local hotel accommodations, transportation, and food and beverage services grew significantly.
Additionally, the inbound tourism market is heating up further as visa-free policies and convenient payment services make traveling to China more convenient for foreigners. According to Ctrip data, inbound travel orders increased by 105% year-on-year, outpacing domestic travel orders.
