An unusual convergence of the Dragon Boat Festival and Children’s Day in China over the weekend led to a surge in domestic tourism bookings to campsites, amusement parks and other attractions, according to travel platforms.
Short-haul domestic travel bookings had grown 23 per cent year on year, according to travel platform Trip.com’s latest figures. The trend was driven by “summer escapes” with parent-child orders making up 35 per cent of overall bookings and “family-friendly” hotel searches increasing by 45 per cent, a company spokeswoman said.
Latest figures from Alibaba Group Holding’s travel-booking platform Fliggy showed that, as of last Wednesday, bookings for theme park tickets had grown by more than 100 per cent over last year’s Dragon Boat Festival weekend, while campsite bookings had shot up 80 per cent. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Family hotel packages that include hotels, food and entertainment had risen by 24 per cent over the same period for 2024, the platform said, while activities such as suburban “water fun” and picnics with children and pets “are in high demand”.
“This year’s holiday coincides with Children’s Day, enhancing the appeal of family travel,” Fliggy said in a statement ahead of the May 31-June 2 break.
Chinese officials have looked to tourism as a driver of support for the nation’s service sector.
