As China’s traditional Dragon Boat Festival commenced, the country’s consumption sector surged on the first day of the three-day holiday. Predictions indicate that the number of tourists during this year’s festival will surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2019, with an estimated 100 million passenger trips expected, generating a staggering tourism income of 37 billion yuan ($5.15 billion). This makes it the most vibrant holiday season in terms of consumption in the past five years.
According to the China Railway, 16.2 million passenger trips were projected for Thursday, with 10,868 trains in operation. On Wednesday, a total of 13.86 million passenger trips were recorded, marking an 11.8 percent increase compared to 2019.
During the Dragon Boat Festival travel rush, which spans from Wednesday to Sunday, an estimated 71 million passenger trips are expected to be made by rail, averaging 14.20 million trips per day. Thursday is anticipated to be the peak day for passenger flow.
The Ministry of Transportation revealed that the national highway is projected to accommodate 30.95 million passenger trips on Thursday, representing a significant 66.3 percent year-on-year increase from the same period in 2022. Additionally, one million passenger trips are forecasted to take place by water on Thursday, reflecting a 164.82 percent year-on-year surge.
Traditional folk tourism has gained popularity among Chinese travelers during the festival, with cities renowned for dragon boat racing, such as Foshan in Guangdong Province, receiving a substantial influx of visitors from other provinces and regions.
Short-distance travel has also emerged as a favored option during the three-day holiday, according to multiple travel platforms. Many individuals, like Zheng, a white-collar worker from Beijing, opt for nearby destinations such as Ji’nan in Shandong Province, reachable within a two-hour high-speed train journey. Zheng estimated his trip to cost around 5,000 yuan and noted the crowded sightseeing spots and fully booked hotels in Ji’nan, indicative of the rapid recovery of China’s tourism market.
Online shopping platforms Meituan and Dianping reported a remarkable 600 percent year-on-year increase in tourism reservations for the three-day holiday as of June 14. Searches related to “round trips” rose by 650 percent year-on-year during the same week. Outbound trips have also surged by a staggering 12 times during the festival, with approximately 65 percent of outbound tourists opting for flights to Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.
Experts predict that domestic spending will continue to rise, following the May Day holidays and the “618” online shopping festival. This upward trend in traditional product and service purchases is expected to fuel consumption recovery and contribute more than 60 percent to China’s economic growth.
Dai Bin, head of the China Tourism Academy, estimated that around 100 million people will embark on trips during this year’s Dragon Boat Festival, a 30 percent increase compared to last year. Additionally, travel consumption is projected to expand by 43 percent year-on-year, reaching 37 billion yuan, as reported by China Central Television.
During the Dragon Boat Festival in 2022, a total of 79.61 million tourist trips were made, generating a revenue of 25.82 billion yuan, according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Chinese policymakers have been intensifying efforts to stimulate domestic consumption and propel economic recovery, as stated by the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planner.