Tourists from mainland China gather at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, on May 1. (Andy Cheung/China Daily)
As the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, which runs from June 8 to 10, approaches, China’s tourism industry is experiencing a booking boom again, with tourists especially keen to travel abroad.
According to data from online travel agency Ctrip, searches for hotels in overseas destinations have increased significantly compared to the same period in 2019, with Hong Kong, Macau Special Administrative Region, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia being popular destinations.
Due to short distances and the recent depreciation of the Japanese yen, Japan has become the most popular destination for charter car services during this year’s Dragon Boat Festival holiday, with the number of charter car bookings more than doubling compared to last year.
Countries that have implemented visa exemption facilities for Chinese nationals are also becoming more popular, with bookings remaining steady.
Top international destinations include Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea’s Jeju Island, according to travel services and social networking platform Mafengwo.
According to data from Ctrip, the number of international travel bookings to Malaysia during this year’s Dragon Boat Festival holiday increased by 54% compared to last year.
Bookings were strong in the United Arab Emirates, Georgia and Tunisia, with growth rates all exceeding 100%, reaching 141%, 139% and 171% respectively.
Visa-exempt European countries such as Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are also popular with Chinese tourists, with outbound bookings up 55% and 71%, respectively.
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival, is an important traditional Chinese festival in which people eat glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves. This year it falls on June 10th.
