Travel Gossip: Inbound Travel Booking Surges by 130% for May Day

With less than two weeks to go until China's annual 'May Day Golden Week' holiday, have you planned your itinerary yet? 

This year's 'May Day Golden Week' might look different from previous years, with a significant increase in inbound tourists expected!

According to data released on April 16 by Ctrip (Trip.com for those of you living outside of China), one of China's largest online travel agencies, inbound tourist bookings have surged by an impressive 130% compared to the same period last year.

For inbound travel during the 'May Day' holiday, the top ten source countries for tourists visiting China are as follows:

1. Japan

2. United States

3. South Korea

4. Canada

5. Malaysia

6. Thailand

7. United Kingdom

8. Australia

9. Russia

10. France

Among the preferred domestic destinations for overseas tourists, the top ten cities are:

1. Shanghai

2. Beijing

3. Guangzhou

4. Chengdu

5. Qingdao

6. Hangzhou

7. Chongqing

8. Shenzhen

9. Xi'an

10. Kunming

Undoubtedly, the increase in overseas tourists during this year's 'May Day Golden Week' is attributed to China's recent efforts to introduce visa-free policies. 

These policies include unilateral visa-free policies, reciprocal visa exemptions with more countries, as well as the convenience of 72/144-hour visa-free transit.

To help readers better understand these visa-free policies, That's has compiled comprehensive China visa-free entry guides. 

READ MORE: How to Attend the Canton Fair Without a Chinese Visa

Have you made plans for the May Day Golden Week yet? We welcome you to share them with us! 

For more travel news and information about China, follow our WeChat official account, ThatsGBA.

[Cover image by Billy Jiang/That's]