China records domestic travel record of 106 mn trips during Dragon Boat Festival

China’s tourism industry displayed strong signs of recovery during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday this year. Official data showed a domestic travel record of 106 million trips, representing a 32.3 per cent year-on-year growth which exceeded the pre-COVID levels in 2019. Domestic travel revenue surged 44.5 per cent year on year, recovering to 94.9 per cent of the 2019 level, according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
 
Inbound and outbound tourism have also been boosted by favourable policies, along with the steady recovery of supply chains including civil aviation and hotels. During the festival, China’s immigration authorities processed a total of 3.9 million inbound and outbound visits, a jump of about 2.3 times from last year, or 64.6 per cent of the 2019 level.
 
Trendy cultural elements, such as music festivals and eSport hotels, have brought rich tourism options for domestic tourists. China’s evening festivities boomed as high temperatures encourage more options for night recreation, with 243 national-level night-time cultural and tourism consumption hubs welcoming 36.2 million visitors, 38.8 per cent more than the previous year, data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed.
 
Feng Rao, president of the Mafengwo Tourism Research Institute, considers the Dragon Boat Festival holiday as a barometer for the summer tourism market. Feng predicted that the market will usher in a new round of tourism boom and structural recovery.