Hoteliers hail results as tourists return for May Day

With an upswing in bookings, hoteliers embraced the May Day holiday earlier this month, Chinese media reported.

Data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism show that during the five-day holiday from May 1, scenic sites across the country received 115 million visits, generating 47.56 billion yuan ($6.72 billion) in tourism revenue.

Medium- and high-end hotels were favorites with travelers at popular destinations. Some of these businesses reported a 90 percent occupancy rate, according to The Beijing News.

Industry insiders forecast that resort hotels in the suburbs and those close to scenic spots are to see a quick recovery over the coming months. They told the newspaper that the industry must introduce safety and cleaning measures, adapting to the requirements for the epidemic prevention and control and new developments in the market.

"Bookings of rooms at our hotels during the May Day holiday reached a peak in recent months, with the room occupancy increased by 60 percent from the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday in April. On May 1, nearly 30 hotels reported more than 90 percent in their occupancy rate," The Beijing News quoted an executive from IHG hospitality group as saying.

The group operates more than 470 properties in China and nearly one-third of them suspended operations during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak. By May 5, 98 percent of IHG hotels and resorts in China had resumed business, according to the executive.

Four properties had been reopened in China by May 1, with two of them－in Anji, Zhejiang province neighboring Shanghai and Beijing's Yanqing district－sold out during the holiday, The Beijing News reported.

Data from online travel platform Qunar show that during the May Day holiday, the number of travelers in hotels across the country surged by more than double from that of the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday in April. Chengdu in Sichuan province; Hangzhou in Zhejiang province; Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province; and Shanghai were among the most popular destinations and thus enjoyed huge demand for hospitality services.

Behind this boom are discounts and promotional packages offered by hospitality industry players, such as hotels, travel agencies, catering service providers, airlines and scenic site operators.

Authorities in various regions including Shandong province; Wuhan in Hubei province; Zhuhai in Guangdong province; and Kunming in Yunnan province have issued tourism vouchers to local residents, in a bid to spur consumption.

Out of health and safety concerns, many tourists opted for short-haul trips, especially leisure tours to attractions in the outskirts of their home cities during the May Day holiday.

The trend will continue after the holiday, Feng Rao, an executive from a tourism research center affiliated with online travel platform Mafengwo, told China Youth Daily.