Tourism market booms ahead of May Day holiday

China is gearing up for a surge in travel and tourism bookings as this year's May Day holiday, running from May 1 to 5, draws closer, with both inbound and outbound tourism markets seeing a similarly booming trend.

According to data from Chinese online travel agency Tuniu, bookings for domestic travel during the May Day holiday have more than doubled compared to the same period of last year, with self-driving tours, independent travel, and group tours experiencing particularly strong growth.

Data from Chinese online travel service provider Ctrip reveals that hotel and ticket bookings, the core services of online travel platforms, have surged by over 70 percent.

Many travelers are opting for an extended 11-day holiday with just four days off from work, further driving bookings for long-distance travel.

"In hotel bookings for the upcoming May Day holiday, key word searches for 'e-sports' and 'pet friendly' increased by 30 percent compared to the same period of last year. Additionally, family travel is a major trend for the holidaymaking. Outdoor camping, cultural tours, and tours themed with intangible cultural heritage are the most popular activities for family trips," said Liu Ting, public affairs senior manager of Chinese online travel platform Qunar.

Data from Ctrip show that traditional popular cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu continue to top the domestic tourism destination rankings for this year's May Day holiday.

Notably, the pace of consumption upgrading in fourth-tier and lower cities is outpacing that of third-tier and higher cities.

"Compared with the same period of last year, bookings on our platform have increased by 30 percent. Some relatively lesser-known domestic destinations, such as the cities of Songyuan, Shantou and Taiyuan, are now ranked among the top for May Day bookings," said Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of Chinese travel platform Spring Tour.

As domestic travel continues to thrive, the outbound travel market is also showing strong growth, reflecting a broader recovery in the tourism industry.

"Outbound travel has increased by around 50 percent compared with the same period of last year, further reflecting the trend of recovery of the outbound travel market. This year, the average travel duration for outbound trips is 7.2 days, with destinations primarily concentrated in Europe. France, Italy, Spain and Portugal are particularly popular," said Liu Jie, assistant to CEO of CYTS Aoyou Technology Development Co., Ltd..

Data from home-sharing tech company Airbnb revealed that during this year's May Day holiday, Japan, Italy, France, New Zealand, Spain, South Korea, Thailand, the United States, the United Kingdom and Indonesia have ranked among the Top Ten most searched destinations.

Notably, Japan saw a surge in search interest, with its popularity nearly tripling compared to the same period of last year.

"Thanks to the Osaka Expo, lesser-known destinations are seeing rapid growth in popularity. Activities like hiking, island tours, and self-driving trips, which offer more immersive and diverse travel experiences, have become increasingly popular among Chinese travelers," said Kong Zhiqiu, head of Airbnb China operations.

Tourism market booms ahead of May Day holiday

At precisely 07:15 each morning, veteran meteorologist Tsering Dekyi launches a weather balloon from Lhasa Meteorological Station, continuing a ritual that has documented the remarkable transformation of the capital city of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region over half a century.

For 26 years, Dekyi has maintained this precision-critical routine where even a one-second delay constitutes a professional failure.

"Attention to details is vital. The tiniest error can cause disaster. A mistake of just 0.1 in the data input can have a major impact," she said.

As the balloon rises into sky, it captures atmospheric readings while revealing panoramic views of Lhasa's evolving skyline, where ancient temples now neighbor modern infrastructure.

The daily launches, conducted at optimal atmospheric conditions, showcase how this ancient city harmonizes heritage with development. Through the lens of balloon-mounted cameras, prayer-flag adorned rooftops give way to sprawling new residential districts and the gleaming Lhasa-Nyingchi railway terminus.

Meteorological balloons have risen from this station since the 1970s, their flight paths unintentionally chronicling urban expansion. Where observers once saw mostly farmland, they now document a regional hub with highways radiating across the plateau and solar farms powering growth.

As Dekyi watches another balloon shrink to a dot, its sensors will transmit real-time updates about the rarefied air above one of Asia's fastest-transforming cities, where tradition and progress share the same horizon.

Weather balloons witness Lhasa's remarkable transformation