With the extended May Day holiday just around the corner and the threat from Covid-19 as good as gone, Chinese people are set to take advantage of the 5 day holiday by once again travelling. Most, however, are not going so far.
The recent success at continued epidemic containment during the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday has once again made Chinese bullish on travel. However, they remain wary, partially on account of governmental recommendations.
A report published by Meituan reveals that fully 90 percent of travel this May Day holiday is expected to not cross inter-provincial borders, while 60 percent shall take place within travellers’ home cities.
Nevertheless, there are still plenty people willing to go further afield.
Sanya often ranks as one of China’s happiest cities. Those in the tourism sector on the island paradise of Hainan are now finding themselves once again a contented bunch, as weekly bookings have returned to same levels as May Day in 2019.
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Other oft-favourited destinations grateful for the coming uptick in visitors include Guilin in Guangxi Province, Huzhou in Zhejiang Province and Hunan Province’s Zhangjiajie, home to the “Avatar Mountains”.
Ctrip expects that the number of national scenic spots opening during May Day will reach a new high of more than 4,000. Scenic spot ticket sales for the upcoming holiday are up 94 percent month on month, reports The Paper.
Most popular with travellers this year are packages such as “Scenery & Hotel” and “Hotel & Gourmet” over 2 days/1 night and 3 days/2 nights. Doubling their sales volume month on month are also packages interestingly known as “Look & Drink” (景+酒; jing + jiu), or more literally; “Scenery & Wine”.
In order to cope with the increased demand, Nanjing Railway Station has opened 57 new pairs of services. The station is projecting an average daily passenger throughput of 125,000 over the holiday, while 160,000 passengers are expected to use the station on 1 May. The new services are mainly to and from Shanghai, as well as Xuzhou and Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province; Hefei, Fuyang and Anqing and Anhui Province; and Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province.
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If all this sounds too good to be true, people still need be mindful of the continued threat of a possible Covid-19 return. The Nanjinger reminds readers that if travelling far, it is conceivable that returning to the city may invoke some kind of quarantine, depending on the destination, people with whom there has been contact and possible changes to regulations in the interim.
Parents, in particular, should keep in mind the fact that a number of cities in China have enacted policies that effectively ban travel for both teachers and students to other provinces and even other cities.
While Nanjing is not among them, schools are discouraging families and staff from travelling far this May Day. Principal at The British School of Nanjing (BSN), Matthew Shephard, spoke with The Nanjinger, saying, “Every school, whether Chinese or international, has to decide how to manage reopening their campuses, within the rules set by the Education Bureau. At BSN, we are treating travel on a case-by-case basis, as we do the return to campus; entry is with the permission of the school and if we feel the travel history etc. of a student is likely to increase the risk to others, we would exercise the right to not admit a student on campus. We are asking our teachers and staff not to travel this holiday and to enjoy what Nanjing has to offer”.
Therefore, for those with children at international schools, the wiser option for travelling this May holiday may well be the wealth of destinations that exist in the further flung parts of Nanjing. Gaochun District offers its fascinating Old Street, Jiangbei New Area is lucky to have Nanjing’s other national park, Lao Shan, while in Liuhe District, Pingshan Forest Park and Jinniu Lake (the latter accessible via Nanjing Metro Line S8 and venue for the sailing disciplines of the 2014 Youth Olympics) would make for good choices this May Day.
