May Day is Play Day

2015-04-22  Source: China daily

Picturesque Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.Warmer weather has stimulated the zest for travel for Chinese tourists as more people book outbound and domestic packages during the May Day holiday.

The number of tourists booking trips during the holiday is already double that of this month's Tomb Sweeping Festival. Yang Feiyue discerns trends and deals from data compiled by one of the country's major travel agencies.

May Day holiday travel is expected to be more than twice that of the recent April 4-6 Tomb Sweeping Day. Floods of visitors will land in Japan and South Korea, for example, because of favorable visa policies and a stronger yuan, a report by major Chinese online travel company Ctrip says.

"Tourists are more likely to travel in May because of warmer weather," Ctrip's tourism department marketing director Dai Yu says.

"(South Korea and Japan's) popularity is expected to surpass Hong Kong's."

Ctrip's group trips to Japan have sold out. About 70 percent of South Korean packages are booked, according to the company's study that based on reservation data.

Savvy travelers are already signing up for packages through early July.

Leading the pack in South Korea are Seoul and Jeju Island. Chinese visitors to Jeju don't need visas. And May trips are 800-1,000 yuan ($130-160) cheaper than the July-September summer vacation period, Ctrip says.

Dai recommends Japan's Kyushu and its northern regions to those hoping to explore off the beaten path.

Most of Ctrip's long-distance outbound travel packages for the May Day holiday still have plenty of tickets available.

Thailand, Europe and Africa also rank among hot destinations.

The island country of Maldives is among hot destinations.

Islands such as the Maldives and Thailand's Phuket are expected to see floods of Chinese visitors in May.

Turkey is also poised to experience an inflow of Chinese tourists because it recently streamlined visa applications, Ctrip reports.

The country's embassy in China announced on March 5 that Chinese holding ordinary passports can apply for electronic visas. The procedure can be done from home in just a few minutes.

Ctrip's individual four-day trips to South Korea from Beijing are priced at around 2,000 yuan during the holiday. Six-day group trips to Bangkok and Pattaya cost around 3,000 yuan.

Agencies are also launching packages for domestic sites.

Fujian province's Xiamen, Hainan province's Sanya, Yunnan province and Shaanxi province's Xi'an are leading destinations at home.

Warm seashores and clean air consistently draw visitors to Xiamen and Sanya.

Xi'an's tourism has accelerated this year, as the country is promoting Silk Road travels, Dai says. The city is considered the ancient route's starting point.

"Trips to enjoy blossoms remain popular in eastern China," she says.

The ongoing flower shows in the Xixi national wetland park in Zhejiang province's capital, Hangzhou, will last until May 10. Tourists can enjoy more than 600 blooming species.

Yunnan's azaleas and euphorbias bloom in May.

Growing in relative popularity are Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou (Jiuzhai Valley), and neighboring Chongqing municipality's Wulong county.

Ctrip's domestic-destination packages currently cost about 1,000-5,000 yuan, depending on the departure point. The company claims prices are about the same as in non-holiday periods.

May Day tours are generally 20 percent cheaper than summer trips, Dai says.

Japan's Kyushu.

Most visitors to domestic destinations have booked excursions lasting three to five days, the Ctrip report says.

Dai recommends 11-day group trips from Beijing or Shanghai to the Tibet autonomous region's Lhasa, Nyingchi and Shigatse. They offer value for money, she says, and now cost 7,300 yuan for trips around the holiday on Ctrip's website.

Costs will likely increase to 10,000 yuan during the summer vacation, she says.

"These places are less crowded in May," Dai adds.

"Travelers can get a better feel of landscapes and cultures."

Ctrip's group travel to northwestern China is discounted by up to 3,200 yuan per eight tourists if they reserve early, the agency claims.

Seven-day train trips from Qinghai province's Xining to Qinghai Lake, and Gansu province's Dunhuang, Jiayuguan and Lanzhou, are a little more than 3,000 yuan on the agency's website.

Tourists can experience the Mogao Grottoes' Buddhist frescoes, Yardang landforms and deserts in Gansu.

A technology company manager, He Bin, has booked a trip to Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region over May Day.

The Beijing resident made reservations 15 days ahead.

"I booked early because flights and hotels are always in short supply during the holiday," He says.

His urge to travel in May was intensified by the fact that work forced him to stay in the capital during the Tomb Sweeping holiday.

For him, May Day will be play day.