China sees holiday trips rise to 274 million , keen interest in domestic travel
Travel Biz News —
China’s tourism industry experienced a strong rebound during the May Day holiday, with tourists showing a keen interest in domestic travel.
A total of 274 million visits were made during the holiday, up 70.83 percent year-on-year, surpassing the 2019 level for the same holiday, according to data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism .
Domestic tourism revenue during the holiday reached 148.05 billion yuan ($21.4 billion), a year-on-year increase of 128.90 percent, China Daily reports.
China’s outbound tourism has also experienced a new boom. Data from Alibaba’s travel branch Fliggy shows that orders for outbound trips during the May Day holiday increased by 200 percent compared to this year’s Spring Festival.
Another leading travel platform Trip.com Group, formerly known as Ctrip, also reported that during the five-day holiday, outbound travel orders increased nearly 700 percent from the same period of last year, with the number of outbound air tickets and hotel orders surging by nearly 900 percent and 450 percent, respectively, Xinhua reports.
Inbound trips also rebounded quickly. According to Trip.com Group, inbound trips via Hainan rose sharply by 87 percent from the previous month.
“China has huge potential in its inbound tourism sector,” said Sun Jie, CEO of Trip.com Group.
Aside from bringing in foreign currency, inbound tourism can help create more jobs, enhance China’s international status, promote the image of a beautiful China, and act as a cultural bridge to boost international exchanges and world peace, Sun added.
Starting from May 1, China has allowed virtual APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) holders to enter China using the card, which serves as a substitute for a visa. Such policies have provided positive signals and further boosted the inbound tourism.
4 May 2023
Tourists visit Fuzimiao, or the Confucius Temple scenic area in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on May 2, 2023. [Photo/VCG]
