Economy&Life | May Day holiday travel boom highlights economic vitality

People visit a shopping mall in southwest China's Chongqing, May 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- During the ongoing May Day holiday lasting from May 1 to 5, many Chinese people have embarked on journeys to explore the vast country, underscoring China's economic vitality and resilience.

According to a market forecast by Trip.com, hotel bookings in county-level markets have spiked by 68 percent year on year during the holiday. Data also shows a rise of 42 percent in countryside trips compared to the same period last year.

The country's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush from April 29 to May 6, according to China Railway.

Tourists buy candies at a market in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, May 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

Tourists have fun at an amusement park in Xiangtan, central China's Hunan Province, May 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)

Tourists visit a scenic spot in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, May 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

Tourists visit the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring scenic spot in the city of Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, May 1, 2024. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoliang/Xinhua)

Tourists visit a national wetland park in Xinghua, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 1, 2024. (Photo by Zhou Shegen/Xinhua)

A drone photo taken on May 1, 2024 shows tourists visiting the Huangguoshu Waterfall in Anshun, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo by Chen Xi/Xinhua)

Tourists visit the ancient city of Tianshui in Qinzhou District of Tianshui City, northwest China's Gansu Province, May 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Zixuan)

People buy snacks at a cultural compound in Yinchuan City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Mao Zhu)

Passengers are seen at the waiting hall of Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in east China's Shanghai, May 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)