Who is the big winner of the "May Day" cultural tourism industry?

"Feels like a billion people visited every tourist attraction."

The just-concluded long weekend became the hottest "May Day" holiday in history. Data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on the 6th showed that a total of 295 million domestic tourists traveled across the country, with a total expenditure of 166.89 billion yuan, surpassing the same period in 2023 and 2019.

Local culture and tourism departments have successively announced the number of holiday tourists and income. According to incomplete statistics from Time Finance, tourist receptions in at least 10 provinces exceeded tens of millions. Among them, following the hot spring festival cultural tourism market, Inner Mongolia's tourist numbers and income have both increased by more than double.

To avoid the crowded places, many tourists are choosing to explore niche destinations. It is for this reason that outbound travel is growing faster than domestic travel, and small towns are outpacing big cities in growth rates, which are the two biggest characteristics of this "May Day" travel period.

According to data from the National Immigration Administration, over 8 million people traveled in and out of the country during the "May Day" holiday, a 35.1% increase compared to the same period last year. Data from Tongcheng Travel showed that hotel bookings in dozens of third-tier and below cities have seen a more than 100% year-on-year growth in popularity.

Henan ranks first in the number of receptions

According to incomplete statistics from Time Finance, as of 3 p.m. on May 6, 14 provinces that have released "May Day" tourism data have basically achieved double growth in both visitor numbers and revenue. Due to weather reasons, Guangdong's growth rate has slightly declined compared to the same period last year, but still achieved growth compared to the same period in 2019.

Among them, Henan temporarily ranks first in the number of visitors received, with over 60 million visitors, and the tourism revenue reached 35.42 billion yuan, an increase of 11.8% and 14.2% respectively compared to the same period last year. Anhui closely follows, receiving nearly 50 million visitors and tourism revenue of 27.28 billion yuan.

The tourism numbers and revenue have surpassed traditional tourism powerhouses like Sichuan and Guangdong. Besides having historical and cultural tourism resources such as Luoyang and Kaifeng, what else did Henan do right?

In the press release from the Henan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, it emphasized the "Traveling with Hui" team's visit to Henan before the holiday (April 25 to 29). The Dong Yuhui team promoted Henan's culture and tourism in Luoyang, Zhengzhou, Anyang, and Kaifeng. Henan media had a viewership of 2.8 billion, achieving good results in attracting visitors.

As a result, Luoyang became the city with the highest net inflow of tourists in the country, while the ticket orders for Kaifeng's museums ranked among the top five nationwide. The return of "Wang Po" brought a peak in the number of visitors to the Wuxia City scenic area in Kaifeng. With the radiation and spillover effects, cities like Xinxiang and Nanyang in Henan Province have also seen a simultaneous increase in popularity.

The provinces of Inner Mongolia and Liaoning saw a significant increase in the number of tourists during the May Day holiday. During the Spring Festival holiday, the tourism revenue in Inner Mongolia and Liaoning increased by 7.63 times and 5.72 times respectively. During the May Day holiday, the growth in tourism revenue in these two regions also led the way, with year-on-year increases of 177% and 98.5% respectively.

It is worth mentioning that the per capita tourism expenditure in Liaoning is also quite high, at 1046 yuan, making it one of the only two provinces with per capita tourism expenditure exceeding 1000 yuan among the currently published data, second only to Beijing's per capita tourism expenditure of 1156 yuan.

In terms of cities, the top ten most popular tourist destinations during the May Day holiday are Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Xi'an, and Shenzhen.

"This year's May Day holiday is a sign of the comprehensive recovery of the tourism market," said Xiao Peng, a researcher at the Big Data Research Institute of Qunar, in an analysis for Time Finance. During this year's May Day holiday, the capacity of flights, trains, and hotel accommodations has exceeded that of 2019. The development of the national tourism market and the willingness of tourists to consume are more balanced, with fewer absolute unpopular cities. The situation of "hard to find a bed" or "hard to find a ticket" is also less common, and the development of the tourism industry is more healthy and sustainable.

Visitors from visa-free countries have more than doubled.

The tourism market is hot, and there are some trends worth noting.

According to Tongcheng Travel's "2024 May Day Holiday Travel Consumption Report," during the May Day holiday period, the booking popularity of hotels in dozens of third-tier and below cities has increased by over 100% compared to the same period last year. According to Ctrip data, the trend of tourism sinking is becoming more apparent, with a significant increase in the growth rate of tourism orders year-on-year, with first and second-tier cities lower than third and fourth-tier cities, and third and fourth-tier cities lower than county-level markets.

"Checking in" at niche internet-famous cities has become the travel choice for more young people. From BBQ in Zibo to spicy hot pot in Tianshui, to Wang Po in Kaifeng and Zanfa in Quanzhou, internet-famous cities that have become popular due to their local characteristics have become destinations for short trips during the holidays.

Data from Qunar shows that hotel bookings in cities such as Zibo, Tianshui, and Liuzhou during the May Day holiday have more than doubled compared to the same period last year. Based on rough calculations, the average spending per person for a meal of Tianshui hot pot is 30 yuan, driving local consumption by 650 yuan; experiencing Zanfa in Quanzhou costs only 40 yuan, driving local consumption by 900 yuan... Niche internet-famous cities that have become popular are expected to multiply overall consumption by nearly 20 times under the influence of the "checking in" trend.

"The sinking market has a relatively low base, offering greater growth potential." Wang Yalei, an industry analyst at Ctrip Research Institute, analyzed that tourists are seeking a more relaxed and cost-effective experience, accelerating the sinking trend. Compared to the crowds in first and second-tier cities, the sinking market provides the possibility for tourists to relax during the holidays both physically and mentally. Additionally, compared to the high accommodation and dining costs in first and second-tier cities during the holidays, the sinking market also offers better value for money.

In addition to "reverse travel," inbound and outbound tourism has also become a new hot spot for May Day travel.

Benefiting from visa-free policies and abundant flight options, the volume of inbound and outbound tourism orders has significantly increased year-on-year. The number of outbound travel service bookings on Fliggy platform has nearly doubled from a high base, while Ctrip's inbound tourism orders have increased by 105%. In Chengdu alone, the number of inbound tourists reached 9,644, a year-on-year increase of 329.6%.

According to the latest statistics from a well-known travel agency in South Korea, the booking volume for Chinese group tours in May has surged by 608% year-on-year, with popular destinations mainly including Zhangjiajie and Furong Town. Zhangjiajie has become a popular travel destination in South Korea, with the port implementing 24-hour landing visa review and achieving convenient immigration clearance within 30 minutes, allowing even fruit vendors to communicate in Korean.

The number of inbound tourists from the 12 countries unilaterally exempted from visas by China and the reciprocally visa-exempt countries such as Singapore and Thailand has increased by about 2.5 times year-on-year. The Middle Eastern countries such as Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait have seen a high growth rate in outbound tourism, with an increase of over 3 times year-on-year.

The Japanese yen exchange rate has fallen, making Japan a popular destination for travelers. Data from Qunar shows that the top 5 popular destinations during the "May Day" holiday are Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore. The number of flight tickets booked to Japan has increased by more than 60% compared to 2019, ranking first among the top 10 destinations in terms of growth.