Graphics: China sees travel, consumption surge during May Day holiday

China experienced a massive surge in travel and consumption over the May Day holiday, with cross-regional trips during the five-day holiday hitting 1.517 billion, marking a record high for passenger movements across the country during the same period, according to data from the Chinese Ministry of Transport.

There is a boom in services consumption, data from Chinese Ministry of Commerce showed. The number of inter-provincial tourists across major platforms rose 7.6% year on year. Long-distance trips over 800 kilometers jumped 20%, driving an 18% increase in hotel accommodation spending. Car rental orders grew 21%, performance consumption climbed 17.6%, and box office revenue exceeded 758 million yuan ($111 million).

The consumer goods trade-in programs benefited over 86 million people as of May 4, 2026, driving total sales of over 629 billion yuan. This includes over 2.1 million vehicle trade-ins generating over 342 billion yuan in new car sales, over 34.7 million home appliance replacements worth over 141.5 billion yuan, and over 49.3 million new digital and smart device purchases with sales hitting over 145.3 billion yuan.

China also saw a surge in cross-border travel, with nearly 11.3 million trips recorded, according to National Immigration Administration. Border crossings averaged around 2.26 million per day and increased 3.5% from a year earlier. There is an uptick in inbound and outbound foreigners recording around 1.26 million, among which foreign visitors entering visa-free reached 436,000.