This year's May Day holiday is seeing even stronger travel enthusiasm than in 2024. China’s domestic travel search volume is up 29% compared to the same period last year, with peak interest still concentrated on the first day of the holiday.
Following a dip in popularity last year, tropical island destinations such as Sanya and Haikou are once again drawing attention. Among top destinations, Haikou leads with an 86% rise in searches, while Sanya is up 48%.
Traditional tourist hotspots like Kunming, Guiyang, and Lijiang continue to attract large numbers of travelers, each registering over 50% growth. Meanwhile, destinations like Urumqi and Taiyuan, rich in natural and cultural heritage, have surged over 65%, fueled in part by natural and entertainment trends.
Top-searched domestic air routes, Shanghai-Haikou, Shanghai-Urumqi, Shanghai-Guiyang, and Shenzhen-Kunming, all saw search demand significantly outpacing seat capacity growth. Given these routes had over 85% seat occupancy during the same period last year, adding more flights may be advisable.
Airfares during this year's May Day holiday have decreased compared to last year, with price peaks again concentrated on the holiday’s final day the peak return period.
Among major domestic routes, Shanghai-Shenzhen is the only one to see a fare increase, while others declined, notably Guangzhou-Beijing, with one-way fares falling over 30%.
In terms of traveler demographics, college students—a price-sensitive group—recorded the sharpest increase, likely driven by lower ticket prices.
On the outbound side, international travel searches edged up by 3% year-on-year.
Performance varies by region: Japan, South Korea, and Europe saw over 20% growth, while interest in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan, and North America declined.
Routes like Shanghai-Bangkok and Nanjing-Osaka posted lower search growth compared to capacity increases and had sub-75% seat occupancy last year, suggesting potential for flight reductions.
Ticket prices for destinations in Europe, Oceania, Africa, and Latin America have risen, while fares to other regions have dropped.
Among outbound travelers, solo travel is the fastest-growing trend, primarily driven by the 25-44 age group.
