Looking at China's Economic Recovery from the May Day Holiday

Active Holidays: Flowing China Reflects New Meteorology of Recovery

During the May Day holiday, the topic of "Dunhuang Blocking Camels" made it to the social media hot search list.

More than 2400 camels are all 'on duty' and can't be busy from morning to night! The originally 40 minute journey now takes about an hour, "said the person in charge of the Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area in Dunhuang.

On May 1st, tourists visited the Mingsha Mountain Yueya Spring Scenic Area in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. Xinhua Social Development (Photo by Zhang Xiaoliang)

In front of the red wall of the Drum Tower in Beijing, there are an endless stream of tourists taking photos, the Nanjing Road Walkway in Shanghai is crowded with tourists, the "Yangtze River Legend" cruise ship in Nanjing, Jiangsu is shuttling back and forth, and the "Sand Lake Never Sleeps City" in Ningxia is ablaze with lights... This holiday, tourists from all over the country walk in the picture scroll to feel the wonderful beauty of China.

According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the total number of domestic tourism trips during the May Day holiday was 274 million, a year-on-year increase of 70.83%, and has recovered to 119.09% of the same period in 2019 according to comparable standards; The domestic tourism revenue reached 148.56 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 128.90%, and recovered to 100.66% in the same period of 2019 according to comparable standards. The cultural and tourism industry has a strong recovery momentum.

In Qiongzhou Strait, the sailors of "Yuehai Railway No.3" welcomed the busiest "May Day".

"During the May Day holiday, the number of car trips across the Qiongzhou Strait reached the highest level in the same period in nearly five years." Xiao Rui, manager of the Safety System Supervision Department of Haikou Xinhai Ferry Terminal Co., Ltd., said that the traffic volume during the holiday increased sharply, and the port had to restart the full reservation mode a week in advance, and send more staff at key points to improve the efficiency of ticket checking and security inspection and avoid congestion.

One by one, "new records" witness the popularity of travel during the May Day holiday——

On the first day of the holiday, the traffic flow on highways in Guangdong Province reached a peak of 9.12 million vehicles, setting a new historical high; The guaranteed flight volume and passenger transportation volume of Beijing Capital Airport and Daxing Airport have both reached new highs in the history of Beijing civil airports; Shenzhen North Station has sent 288000 passengers, the highest daily value since the establishment of the station

According to the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Transport, during the May Day holiday this year, the people have a strong willingness to visit relatives, travel, and other materials. Energy and livelihood transportation activities are intensive, and the entire industry is increasing the supply of comprehensive transportation capacity, ensuring the transportation of key materials, and meeting the travel needs of passengers through multiple channels.

On May 1st, at the platform of Hangzhou East Station, passenger conductor Zhang Zishen guided passengers to board the train. Photographed by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi

China, which flows during holidays, showcases the vitality of prosperity and development.

According to an article published on the website of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, the surge in travel during the holiday indicates that after three years of epidemic prevention and control, China's economic recovery is accumulating momentum.

Hot Holidays: Revitalizing Consumption Reveals the Resilience and Vitality of China's Economy

During the May Day holiday, Donglaishun, a time-honored brand located in Wangfujing Street in Beijing, was very popular, and there were many guests waiting in line at the gate.

In order to cope with the peak holiday passenger flow, we have specially added more than 100 seats, so we have not stopped queuing and calling every day. "Li Jingtao, the general manager of Donglaishun Wangfujing Store, said that since New Year's Day, the store's passenger flow has continued to rise, and during the May Day holiday, we have been too busy to pick up.

This holiday, many people went camping in the Zhongtian Yanhe Village RV Camping Park in Tianjin to find "poetry and distance". The pace of daily life is relatively fast, and camping can get close to nature and be particularly relaxing, "said Ms. Liu, a Tianjin resident.

Catch a Chinese style market and experience the encounter with traditional culture; Go camping in the wilderness and invite three or five friends to cook tea around the stove; Experience urban cycling, frisbee, land surfing... During the May Day holiday, various new forms and gameplay have been sought after by consumers, and the order volume of trendy games on the Meituan platform has increased by over 200% compared to the Spring Festival holiday.

On the evening of May 1st, the Yaobu Ancient Town Scenic Area in Liuzhou City, Guangxi was bustling with tourists (drone photos). Xinhua News Agency (photographed by Li Hanchi)

The popularity of time-honored brands and the popularity of new business formats have become a vivid epitome of the hot consumption and economic trend during this holiday.

Seizing the opportunity of the May Day holiday and taking multiple measures to promote a sustained rebound in consumption, various regions have issued the second batch of Beijing Color Green Consumption Coupons, linking more than 60 business districts and enterprises to carry out consumption promotion activities; The Shanghai "May 5th Shopping Festival" aims to create a new scene and promote the linkage of five major areas: shopping, cultural tourism, cuisine, competitions, and exhibitions; Jilin has opened multiple "night economy" direct routes to meet the transportation needs of tourists

Driven by policies and other factors, consumer demand has accelerated its release. According to the monitoring of the Ministry of Commerce, the sales revenue of key retail and catering enterprises nationwide during the May Day holiday increased by 18.9% year-on-year; According to data from the National Film Administration, the box office of China's May 1st film season reached 1.519 billion yuan, indicating a positive recovery in the film market; According to data from Meituan and Dianping, the number of long-term travel and accommodation orders in the first three days of the holiday increased by over 40% compared to the same period in 2019; During the holiday period, Suning E-commerce's nationwide store passenger flow increased by 23% year-on-year, and the sales volume of green and energy-saving appliances increased by 56% year-on-year

The strong recovery of the domestic catering, cultural and tourism consumer markets during the May Day holiday fully demonstrates the strong resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy, and also consolidates the foundation for a positive economic recovery throughout the year, "said Wang Yun, a researcher at the China Academy of Macroeconomics.