According to the statement made by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of China, 274 million domestic trips were made during the 5-day holiday on April 29-May 3, due to May 1 Labor Day, while 148 million yuan ($ 21.4 billion) revenue was obtained from domestic tourism.
During the holiday period, the number of domestic trips reached 274 million with an annual increase of 70.8 percent, increasing by 19 percent compared to the same period of 2019.
Domestic tourism revenues increased by 128.9 percent year on year to 148 million yuan ($21.4 billion), reaching the 2019 level.
The box office revenues of the cinemas also got their share from the revival during the holiday period. Box office revenues surpassed 1.52 billion yuan (about $220 million) at the end of the holiday, making it the third-highest box office revenue ever during the Labor Day holidays.
Holiday box office revenues were recorded as 1.53 billion yuan in 2019 and 1.67 billion yuan in 2021.
Despite the slowdown in the manufacturing sector, the recovery in consumption is expected to contribute to the economic recovery after COVID-19 with the positive momentum it created in the service sector.
COVID-19 outbreaks hit tourism last year
While 160 million domestic trips were made during the 5-day Labor Day holiday in China in 2022 due to the quarantine and travel restrictions imposed due to the epidemics triggered by Omicron cases in many cities across the country, the number of trips decreased by 30.2 percent compared to the previous year.
During the holiday period, domestic tourism revenues amounted to 64.68 billion yuan, a decrease of 42.9 compared to the previous year.
In Shanghai, Beijing and Guangcou, the largest cities of the country, travel restrictions were imposed during the holiday period due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, while citizens were advised not to go out of the city.