2nd May 2025 – (Beijing) China’s transport services reported a significant surge in passenger numbers on Thursday, the first day of the May Day holiday, signalling robust tourism demand and economic activity.According to data released by the Ministry of Transport on Friday, a total of 332.7 million inter-regional passenger trips were made on Thursday, an increase of 6.2% year-on-year.
Road travel accounted for the majority of these journeys, with 305.61 million passenger trips, a 4.7% increase compared to the same day last year. Waterborne passenger trips saw a substantial increase of 87.5% year-on-year, while air passenger trips grew by 8.9%.
China’s railway network handled a record 23.12 million passenger trips, an 11.7% increase year-on-year, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. To manage the increased traffic, 13,800 passenger trains operated on Thursday.
The railway operator anticipates a travel rush between 29th April and 6th May, with railway passenger trips forecast to reach 144 million during the period.
Popular destinations for the holiday, according to China’s 12306 railway booking platform, include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Xi’an, Nanjing, and Zhengzhou.
Data from online travel agency Qunar.com indicates that travellers are venturing further and exploring a wider array of destinations compared to the shorter Qingming Festival holiday. Tourist destinations spanned 1,229 counties nationwide on Thursday, with related bookings up 20% year-on-year.
