China is bracing for a surge in travel during the five-day May Day holiday from May 1 to May 5, with expectations that the rush will help revive domestic demand.
The Ministry of Transport said at a recent briefing it expects total passenger movement during the holiday to reach a record 1.52 billion trips.
Average daily travel is projected at 304 million trips, up 4% from a year earlier and a new high. On May 1, the first day of the break, travel is expected to hit 344 million trips.
Road travel is expected to dominate. An average of 64 million vehicles a day are forecast to be on the roads, and more than 90% of travelers are expected to use highways. Rail and air travel are estimated at more than 107 million and more than 219 million trips, respectively.
The travel rush could exceed forecasts as schools in many areas begin spring break from late April to early May, effectively extending the holiday for some families.
A shift from overseas trips to domestic travel is also emerging. China Daily, a state-run English-language newspaper, said the outbreak of war in Iran has pushed up jet fuel prices and increased uncertainty for international flights, strengthening preferences for domestic travel. Online travel agency Qunar said bookings for domestic long-distance trips of more than 800 kilometers rose more than 30% from a year earlier, while Spring Tour said reservations for domestic travel products increased about 20%.
Wang Feng, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that with a longer break, both passenger transport and tourist numbers are expected to exceed last year’s levels. He said the holiday could produce broad-based gains across dining, lodging, transportation and retail.
The government is also moving to spur spending. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said it will hold about 13,700 cultural and tourism events during a “May Day cultural and tourism consumption week” and distribute consumption coupons and subsidies totaling 284 million yuan (about 61.6 billion won).
Last year’s May Day holiday saw domestic tourist trips rise 6.4% from a year earlier to 314 million, while tourism spending increased 8% to 180.269 billion yuan.
China’s economy grew 5% in the first quarter, but the recovery in domestic demand has been slower, with retail sales growth in March remaining in the 1% range. Expectations are high that this year’s May Day holiday will help lift consumer sentiment and add momentum to spending. At a Chinese Communist Party Politburo meeting on the 28th, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to make full use of domestic demand potential.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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