Hotel bookings in China for the coming May Day holiday have increased eightfold over last year's, according to leading travel platform Qunar. 

Hotels are reporting a surge in bookings as travelers plan their trips during the traditional holiday honoring workers running from May 1 to 5 in China. 

"During the May Day holiday, about 90 percent of our rooms are booked from May 1 to 3, and 80 percent of our rooms are booked on May 4," said Xia Yukun, a hotel manager in northern Shanxi Province. "We could increase the rates by 20 percent." 

Last year, when the holiday was also five days long, most people chose short trips because of the coronavirus situation, according to Lan Xiang, director of Qunar's big data research institute. With the COVID-19 epidemic was under effective control in China, confidence has returned and demand for travel is increasing, Lan said. 

The Qingming Festival, China's previous public holiday this year, was seen in the industry as a good trial.

"The reservations during the Labor Day holiday are almost at the same level as in 2019 and orders are still increasing," said Lu Jingyue, marketing director of a hotel in Shenzhen. 

Hotels in big cities like Shenzhen are at nearly the same level as they were before the epidemic.

In addition to popular tourist destinations like Beijing and Shanghai, less known destinations in northwest and southwest China are also attracting attention. 

Among the top 10 destinations with the highest growth in May Day holiday hotel bookings this year, four are from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Danzhou City in China's southernmost Hainan Province tops the national list with an 11.6-fold increase, according to Qunar.