China's May Day holiday trips, spending both rise year on ye

BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) -- China's cultural and tourism market sustained stable expansion during the 2026 May Day holiday, with domestic trips and total spending both registering year-on-year growth, according to official data released on Thursday.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that a total of 325 million domestic trips were made across the country during the May 1-5 period, representing a 3.6-percent increase from the same period last year.

Domestic tourism expenditure reached 185.49 billion yuan (about 27.08 billion U.S. dollars), up 2.9 percent year on year, the ministry said, citing calculations from its data center.

Public cultural institutions across the country organized around 49,400 cultural events during this holiday, attracting approximately 88 million visits, the ministry noted.

Nighttime cultural and tourism consumption remained robust, with national-level nighttime cultural and tourism consumption clusters receiving more than 80.41 million visits, an increase of 6.44 percent year on year.

Additionally, China saw strong growth in its performance market during the holiday period. Roughly 32,000 commercial performances, excluding entertainment venue shows, were staged nationwide, generating box office revenue of 2.48 billion yuan, up 14.66 percent year on year.

These favorable holiday figures underscored the growing importance of the cultural and tourism sector in China's broader economic landscape.

Official data previously released by the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that the added value of the country's culture-related industries accounted for 4.61 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), while tourism-related industries contributed 4.35 percent.

This shift reflects deeper structural changes in the Chinese economy, where service consumption is playing an increasingly prominent role in driving domestic demand and economic growth.

Analysts say Chinese consumers are increasingly prioritizing experiences over material ownership, with travel, immersive cultural activities and heritage-themed dining becoming popular lifestyle choices.

The momentum has continued into 2026. During the Spring Festival holiday earlier this year, domestic trips reached 596 million and tourism spending exceeded 800 billion yuan, both record highs. In the first quarter, revenue of major cultural enterprises rose 6.4 percent year on year to more than 3.5 trillion yuan.

The cultural tourism sector is also extending beyond traditional scenic attractions into rural areas and local communities. Heritage-themed tourism gained popularity during the May Day holiday, while intangible cultural heritage workshops and rural tourism projects helped create jobs and increase incomes.

China's latest policy blueprint for the 2026-2030 period calls for faster development of cultural industries and stronger growth in cultural tourism, while this year's government work report emphasized high-quality development of integrated sectors combining culture, tourism, sports and commerce.

China's international tourism appeal has also continued to rise. In 2025, inbound tourist visits exceeded 150 million, up over 17 percent year on year, while inbound tourism spending surpassed 130 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of nearly 40 percent.

During this May Day holiday, trips by foreign nationals to and from China rose to 1.26 million, a 12.5-percent increase from a year earlier. Among those entering China, 436,000 came visa-free, up 14.7 percent.