China’s May Day boosts domestic travel; Hong Kong, Macau see surge in tourism

What happened Mainland Chinese tourists returned to Hong Kong and Macau in full force during China’s “Golden Week” May Day holiday. The week-long break notably saw a strong recovery in tourism and shopping in the neighboring regions. From May 1 to 5, Hong Kong recorded approximately 1.08 million arrivals in the first two days alone, including over 480,000 travelers from Mainland China — a 30% increase YoY, according to Hong Kong Immigration data. Local tourism operators saw renewed momentum, with around 680 tour groups arriving from the mainland during the break. High foot traffic at West Kowloon Station and popular sites like Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui pushed hotel occupancy toward 90%, despite some retailers near border areas still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, Macau broke records, logging 2.39 million border crossings during the first three days of the holiday. May 2 alone saw over 837,000 crossings, the highest in the city’s history. Hotel occupancy exceeded 95%, and attractions such as the Ruins of St. Paul’s required crowd control measures to manage surging visitor flows. The Jing Take Across mainland China, the nation’s May Day holiday drove a broader travel boom. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reported 314 million domestic trips, up 6.4% from last year, generating RMB 180.27 billion in tourism revenue — an 8% increase YoY. According to Chinese press, family trips made up 54.5% of holiday travel, with over 38% of travelers choosing trips lasting three days or longer. “Self-driving,” or DIY tourism doubled, and music festivals such as Beijing’s Strawberry Music Festival drove significant spikes in local travel interest. Data from Meituan shows that ticket sales for tourist attractions rose about 15% YoY, with bookings for county-level five-star hotels surging 40%. Dining orders on Meituan climbed 73% by May 1, and brands like Starbucks saw a spike thanks to discount promotions. Gen Z travelers in particular leaned into immersive experiences, boosting hotel demand in far-flung and off-the-beaten path cities like Kashgar and Tianshui. And while domestic tourism surged, outbound travel also grew, with Japan and South Korea leading, although Thailand saw a drop, according to a report by China Merchants Securities. Ultimately, these travel trends represent changing Chinese consumer preferences: From a growing need for rural escapes and culturally rich experiences, to choosing tailored travel itineraries over traditional mass tourism. For brands and retailers, this highlights the growing need to align with evolving consumer values that prioritize authenticity, informational campaigns and "edutainment" via social media, as well as providing seamless consumer hospitality and shopping experiences. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

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China’s May Day boosts domestic travel