According to experts, China's tourism market recorded its best performance during the five-day holiday on May 1, and many see it as a turning point in the recovery of tourism.
According to the president of the China Tourism Academy, visits and travel will generate tourism revenue of more than 120 billion yuan (about US$17 billion), or about 83 percent of the revenue made during the same period in 2019. "Chinese travelers are expected to make more than 240 million trips during these five-day holidays, an increase of about 104% compared to 2019, before the outbreak hit," he said.
According to the latest figures from China State Railway Group, 12,064 passenger trains were in service across the entire railway network, with 19.66 million trips on April 29, two records. And the number of air transport users increased last Saturday by 441.8% year-on-year, reaching a record 2.04 million trips, say civil aviation authorities.
A massive tourist rush is observed virtually across all tourist destinations in China. For example, Shanghai tourism authorities said the city received more than 3.06 million visits on the first day off.
Also, as of April 29, the Traditional Chinese Garden in Suzhou, Jiangsu, has received about 22,800 visits. According to its official website, all tickets during the holiday had already been sold.
International travel is also booming. According to figures from the National Immigration Administration, the average daily number of entries and exits at China's borders is expected to exceed 1.2 million during the holidays, twice as many as in 2022. In addition, online travel portal Ctrip said in a recent report that its users had shown a strong desire to travel abroad during the holidays. As of April 20, searches for airline tickets abroad have increased by 120% compared to the same period in 2019.