The tourism industry in China is experiencing a robust recovery as the 2023 May Day holiday approaches, with younger travelers driving the surge in demand. Bookings for hotels, flights, and tickets to scenic areas have all exceeded 2019 levels, according to a report released Thursday by Trip.com Group, China's leading online travel agency.

Following the 2023 Spring Festival and the resumption of outbound group tours, this year's five-day May Day holiday marks a significant rebound in travel demand. Data from Trip.com Group reveals that domestic hotel searches during the holiday have reached nine times the level seen in 2022 and grown nearly 200% compared to 2019. Meanwhile, domestic flight searches have risen by more than 290% compared to the same period in 2022, recovering to 110% of the pre-pandemic level.

A notable trend in this year's May Day holiday is the shift in the demographics of travelers. According to the report, tourists are generally younger than those during the 2019 May Day holiday. Travelers born in the 2000s now make up 35% of bookings, surpassing the post-90s generation (30%) as the primary force in holiday tourism for the first time. The post-80s generation accounts for 26% of bookings.

Outbound travel is also bouncing back, with flight searches for international destinations up 20% compared to 2019, and hotel searches recovering to about 70% of the 2019 level. Popular travel destinations include Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, with an increase of over 50% in travelers to Southeast Asia and over 100% growth for other Asian destinations and the Middle East.

The majority of outbound travelers hail from first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, along with some provincial capitals. Shanghai is leading the way, contributing to 30% of outbound orders. Suzhou and Wuxi have also emerged as cities with the highest numbers of outbound travelers.

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