The 2023 May Day holiday is likely to usher in the most booming domestic tourism market in the latest five years, according to data from online service platforms Meituan and Dianping. Domestic bookings for accommodation, transportation and scenic spot tickets for the upcoming five-day holiday increased about 200% compared to 2019 as of April 10. The peak of accommodation bookings came two weeks earlier than in 2019. Changsha was among the top 3 tourist destinations in China for the holiday.

Since 2023, the passenger flow of Changsha subway has broken records repeatedly. Scenic spots such as Orange Isle and Yuelu Mountain continue to be popular, and many restaurants are already seeing customers wait in line to be seated. According to travel-related orders on Meituan, the top 10 domestic tourism destinations were Chongqing, Xi'an, Changsha, Chengdu, Wuhan, Qingdao, Nanjing, Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

Outbound tourism data showed China's Hong Kong and Macao were the most popular destinations. The direct high-speed railway between the Changsha South Railway Station and the Hong Kong West Kowloon Railway Station resumed operation in April, enabling passengers to travel from Changsha to Hong Kong SAR in only 3-odd hours. In addition, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia were also popular destinations.

Source: en.changsha.gov.cn