TONGCHENGTRAVEL "May Day" holiday first day data: Popular destinations face "difficult to find a room" situation, quality surrounding travel instant booking popularity increases by over 100%

According to the Zhitong Finance APP, TONGCHENGTRAVEL's data for the first day of the "May Day" holiday shows that key cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing ranked high in passenger flow at railway and civil aviation stations. In terms of user travel range, the proportion of long-distance travel has significantly increased compared to the same period last year, providing strong support for ticket prices on popular routes. In response to the extremely high popularity of long-distance travel, many consumers have temporarily chosen nearby travel, with the instant booking heat of high-quality nearby travel packages, including premium accommodation and entertainment, increasing by over 100% compared to usual. The cultural and tourism consumption hotspots on the first day of the holiday were diverse, with cultural and museum venues and performance venues reaching peak levels, once again demonstrating the difficulty of making reservations.

Public transportation in many places welcomed a peak in passenger flow on the first day of the holiday, while ticket prices remained stable

Data from TONGCHENGTRAVEL shows that on the first day of the holiday, key cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, and Zhengzhou experienced a peak in passenger flow at railway and civil aviation stations. The order volume on TONGCHENGTRAVEL's transportation platform for destinations at various high-speed rail stations and airports surged, including a significant demand for intercity airport transfers. Compared to the same period last year, residents' willingness to travel long distances during this year's "May Day" holiday is strong, with the popularity of several routes even exceeding that of the Spring Festival travel season. Notably, the proportion of flights over 1,200 kilometers increased by about 3% year-on-year, with the popularity of long routes such as Beijing-Sanya and Shanghai-Urumqi significantly rising. Driven by strong demand, domestic flight ticket prices on the first day of this year's "May Day" holiday remained high and stable, with some flights to popular destinations experiencing a slight increase in ticket prices compared to the same period last year.

The first day of the holiday also marked a peak in outbound travel passenger flow. Data from TONGCHENGTRAVEL shows that on May 1, flights from hub airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Xi'an to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong and Macau regions experienced a peak in passenger flow.

Some experienced travelers had already anticipated the high popularity of this year's "May Day" holiday and chose to "combine leave" for off-peak travel. The "2025 May Day Travel Trend Insight Report" released by TONGCHENGTRAVEL before the holiday indicated that consumers chose the "four days off and ten days off" leave combination based on the fluctuation patterns of ticket prices, which is cost-effective and allows them to avoid the peak passenger flow on the first day of the holiday. The wave of "combining leave" initiated by workers further stimulated the demand for domestic long-distance travel and outbound travel during the "May Day" holiday.

Popular destinations faced a "room shortage," and the instant booking heat for high-quality nearby travel increased by over 100%

Data from TONGCHENGTRAVEL shows that from the evening of April 30 to May 1, hotels and accommodation facilities in popular destinations across the country experienced a peak in occupancy, with "room shortages" occurring in key areas of popular destinations such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an, and Changsha. The "ticket shortages" and "room shortages" for long-distance travel prompted some consumers with undecided itineraries to choose high-quality nearby travel instead. Data from TONGCHENGTRAVEL indicates that on the first day of the holiday, the demand for residents to temporarily book local high-star hotels, high-end resorts, boutique homestays, and related package products rapidly increased, with overall booking heat rising by over 100% compared to usual. Nearby travel from cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Suzhou ranked high in popularity, especially in relatively less popular county towns and rural resort areas around these cities From the perspective of demand structure, family travel demand significantly increased during this year's "May Day" holiday, with family suites and parent-child themed rooms in hotels at multiple destinations basically fully booked. Data shows that some hotels under TONGCHENGTRAVEL's eLong hotel technology platform, such as Yixuan Anlai, Meihua Lizh, Meilihao, Yixuan, Qingteng Yisu, and Yazhi, were fully booked between May 1 and 3, with family rooms and other room types being fully reserved more than a week in advance.

The first day of the holiday sees a cultural and tourism boom, with top museums being hard to book

On the first day of the holiday, various cultural and tourism consumption hotspots emerged, with iconic natural scenic spots such as Mount Tai, Mount Huashan, Mount Huangshan, and Mount Emei experiencing the first wave of visitor peaks on May 1. In addition, theme parks, zoos, botanical gardens, and historical districts suitable for family outings also saw a surge in popularity. The cultural and tourism boom remains an indispensable consumption hotspot during this holiday, with cultural venues and performance venues across the country reaching peak levels on the first day of the holiday. Notably, top museums such as the National Museum of China, Shaanxi History Museum, Sanxingdui Museum, Luoyang Museum, and Suzhou Museum announced full bookings for their sessions a week before the holiday