According to the Securities Times, this year's May Day holiday saw a flourishing and active consumer market across China. Monitoring by the Ministry of Commerce's big data showed that the sales of major retail and catering enterprises nationwide increased by 6.3% year-on-year during the holiday. Data from Ctrip indicates that inbound travel orders during the May Day period more than doubled year-on-year, with cultural experiences and diverse activities becoming key attractions for foreign tourists.
Cross-regional passenger flow totaled 1.467 billion person-times
Information from the Ministry of Transport shows that from May 1st to 5th, the total cross-regional passenger flow was estimated at 1.467 billion person-times, averaging 293 million per day, up 8.0% year-on-year. Passenger traffic for railways, waterways, and aviation all achieved double-digit growth. The flow of people brought about a continued warming in service consumption, with the catering and cultural tourism markets thriving. According to business big data monitoring, the sales of major monitored catering enterprises nationwide during the holiday increased by 8.7% year-on-year. As of May 5, the number of local specialty dish dine-in orders contributed by out-of-town tourists on the Meituan platform increased by more than 105% year-on-year, becoming the hottest category.
The May Day holiday saw vigorous tourism consumption nationwide. Based on the tourism 'report cards' released by various regions, the number of tourists received and total tourism revenue achieved double-digit growth year-on-year in many provinces, including Zhejiang, Heilongjiang, Hubei, Gansu, Guangdong, and Zhejiang, in just the first three days of the holiday. Reports issued by online travel platforms showed a trend of 'super large and mega cities remaining popular, while tourism consumption in lower-tier cities accelerates release'.
Data from Ctrip shows the top 10 popular domestic tourist destinations are: Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing, Wuhan, Shenzhen, and Xi'an. Fliggy data indicates that the booking volumes for tourism products in places like Beitun in Xinjiang, Qamdo in Tibet, Golog in Qinghai, Nujiang in Yunnan, and Tunchang in Hainan increased by more than 100% on average year-on-year. Analysis by Tuniu suggests that in recent years, the continuous expansion of expressways, high-speed rail, and airport networks, extending into more lower-tier cities and counties, has greatly facilitated travel for tourists from these areas, further driving the rapid release of tourism consumption demand.
This holiday was the first May Day holiday after the implementation of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, with inbound tourism performing particularly well. Ctrip data shows that inbound travel orders during the May Day period more than doubled year-on-year, with cultural experiences and diverse activities becoming key attractions for foreign tourists.
In the Longji Rice Terraces in Guangxi, the 'Plowing Festival' attracted many foreign tourists. In Chengdu, the full-process product of 'market shopping + cooking instruction + table presentation and tasting' attracted a large number of overseas food enthusiasts. Foreign tourists in China not only enjoyed scenic spots but also actively shopped, with topics like 'shopping spree in Shanghai' and 'foreigners going to Yiwu to purchase with suitcases' becoming popular. Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, believes that with the release of policies facilitating visas, immigration, border crossings, and consumer payments, and the increasing focus of national and local efforts on cultural exchange and tourism promotion, inbound tourism is entering a new channel of rapid recovery and a new stage of prosperous development.
In terms of goods consumption, the 'old-for-new' policy further showed its effect during this holiday. According to statistics, during the holiday, the sales of home appliances, automobiles, and communication equipment by major monitored retail enterprises of the Ministry of Commerce increased by 15.5%, 13.7%, and 10.5% respectively year-on-year. The sales of smart home products on major e-commerce platforms monitored by the Ministry of Commerce increased by more than 20% year-on-year.