During the recent May Day holiday in China, popular tourist spots were overcrowded, with scenes of chaos in the management of scenic areas. Official reports estimated that during the holiday period, there would be approximately 1.42 billion cross-regional movements of people throughout society, leading to fully booked hotels and more. However, doubts were raised within the hotel industry regarding the official data, with many complaining about poor business. A new type of budget travel known as “wild camping,” where travelers bring their own tents, garnered attention.
In recent years, with the Chinese economy facing challenges and consumer spending decreasing, people have come up with various ways of budget travel. Among these is a new mode of travel known as “special forces-style tourism,” where people walk tens of thousands of steps a day, spending minimal time and money to visit multiple attractions. Referred to as the “special forces,” many of these travelers are university students. This year, the trend of self-camping with tents during the May Day holiday further surged, with participants dubbed by netizens as the “wild camping army” – choosing not to book hotels or homestays but instead bringing their own camping gear to set up camp in scenic areas.
On May 3rd, a blogger posted a video showing numerous tents set up along the roadsides near tourist areas. The blogger questioned why so many people were camping, only to later realize that due to the surge in hotel prices during the holiday period – with rates soaring from a couple of hundred to several hundred or even up to a thousand, many savvy travelers opted to save money by camping outside, demonstrating their resourcefulness.
In the Wanpingkou Scenic Area in Shandong Rizhao on May 1st, a “tent trend” emerged as visitors pitched tents along the beach for camping.
Another blogger expressed astonishment, observing the beach crowded with people bringing tents, pots, and pans, all to save money. The blogger lamented the difficulties faced by those in the homestay business, both in terms of pricing challenges and decreased tourist spending. The prevalence of tents on the beach along with the makeshift kitchens set up painted a picture of visitors treating the area as their own home.
Embracing the camping trend, more and more people with spending power are opting for “camping-style” holidays to avoid crowds and high expenses, leading to a diversion from traditional accommodation options.
According to the Ministry of Transport of the Communist Party of China, there were over 340 million cross-regional movements of people on May 1st, followed by 290 million on May 2nd, and 280 million on May 3rd, all surpassing the figures from the same period last year. Officials projected a total of around 1.42 billion cross-regional movements of people during the May Day holiday period.
The official figures released by the Chinese Communist authorities faced skepticism from the tourism industry. Hotel industry insiders questioned the data, highlighting discrepancies between the reported numbers and their on-ground observations. Despite the seemingly impressive travel statistics, hotel operators did not witness a corresponding growth in business, particularly in cities not considered popular tourist destinations.
As the policy of zero tolerance for COVID-19 was lifted after three years, Chinese citizens exhibited a surge in travel, yet there was a noticeable decrease in the average travel expenditure per person. During the 2023 Dragon Boat Festival holiday, for instance, the average domestic travel expenditure per person was only 352 yuan, down from 410 yuan in 2019. Statistics from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released by Bloomberg and Goldman Sachs indicated that during the 2024 National Day holiday, mainland Chinese travelers spent around 2% less per trip compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Videos captured by netizens showed several Chinese tourist spots overwhelmed with visitors, leading to disorderly scenes and tourists clamoring for refunds. Many holidaymakers expressed regret and self-deprecation, asserting that the experience was more torturous than festive, with the situation being far from ideal.
In reality, Chinese people mainly travel during the few extended holidays, limiting their opportunities for leisure travel on regular days. One netizen shed light on the situation, revealing constraints imposed by large state-owned and state-controlled enterprises on annual leave, where employees are often not allowed to take time off for any reason, hindering their freedom and impacting their leisure time.
The challenges faced by the hotel industry during the May Day holiday indicated disparities between the reported travel growth and the actual business performance, with pricing strategies failing to attract bookings as expected. Hoteliers saw the holiday period fall short of expectations, prompting some establishments to receive negative reviews and falling short of projected revenue. This year’s May Day holiday experienced lower occupancy rates, even in cities like Chengdu where none of the nearly 45,000 available hotels were fully booked, reflecting a lackluster performance from high-spending clientele.
As more affluent young people opt for “camping-style” vacations to escape crowds and high costs, the traditional accommodation sector faces challenges due to this shift in consumer preferences.