SINGAPORE: According to recent data released by Ctrip for the upcoming May Day holiday in mainland China, up to 200 million tourists will be on the move over the 5-day break.
According to the forecast data, the current volume of hotel bookings has achieved a 43% increase compared to the same period in 2019. High-end hotel bookings accounted for more than 50% of total bookings over the May Day holiday. This forecast aligns with previous domestic travel trends, where many mainland Chinese travelers opt for a hotel-based vacation to spend the national holiday.
Air ticket bookings have also once again seen an increase compared to the same May Day holiday period in 2019, growing by 23%. With the increased demand, the average price of an economy class air ticket has risen to RMB 1,021, exceeding the average price of economy air tickets from the same period in 2019.
The forecast data shows that as of April 14, the number of people nationwide making bookings for attractions through Trip.com Group’s Ctrip platform increased by 114% compared to 2019. This number is expected to boom in the weeks approaching the May Day holiday due to the short booking cycle for attractions. In mainland China, advance attraction ticket booking is a new phenomenon and feature introduced and spread by the industry to better predict and prepare attraction sites for visitors and to facilitate improved management of visitor numbers following the pandemic.
This May Day holiday will see greater enthusiasm for long-distance travel across provinces in mainland China. The data shows that over 70% of tourists are choosing inter-provincial travel, a trend that builds on the short-haul travel boom that occurred in mainland China following the removal of domestic travel restrictions. The current level of car rental bookings for May Day holiday travel has reached a growth of 126% compared to the same period in 2019, with nearly 90% of car rental bookings made for inter-provincial travel.
