The long May Day holiday has just ended in China, with many businesses reporting that this year’s holiday was the worst year for business, as the crowds did not translate into spending. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials claim that the total consumption by domestic tourists this year during the holiday increased by 8% compared to the same period last year, but per capita spending still remains below pre-pandemic levels.
According to the data released by the CCP’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism on May 6th, a total of 314 million domestic trips were made during the May Day holiday this year, showing a 6.4% increase compared to last year. Domestic tourists spent a total of 180.269 billion yuan, marking an 8% increase. Per capita spending increased by 1.5% to 574.1 yuan, with a daily average of 115 yuan. During the May Day holiday last year, there were 295 million domestic trips with an average spending of 566 yuan per person and a daily average of 113 yuan. However, these figures are still lower than in 2019, before the pandemic, when there were 195 million domestic trips with an average spending of 603.4 yuan per person and a daily average of 151 yuan.
According to the statistics from the Ministry of Transport, the total interregional population movement during the May Day holiday reached 1.467 billion people, with a daily average of 293 million people, an 8.0% increase compared to last year. The passenger volume of railways, roads, waterways, and civil aviation all showed an upward trend compared to 2024.
Many people complained on social platforms that they did not experience the reported 1.4 billion trips during the holiday.
“The cold winter for the hotel industry has arrived,” joked a hotel industry operator, “many of them must have slept on the streets, in tents, or in the woods, instead of coming to hotels.” “The situation during this year’s May Day holiday illustrates a significant change in consumer behavior. People are choosing to stay in their own cities. Business travelers have significantly decreased, and there will also be a significant reduction in outbound tourists in the future, posing deep problems for the hotel industry,” he added.
Another hotel operator from Inner Mongolia questioned the official claim of a 25% increase in tourists during this year’s May Day holiday compared to last year. He expressed serious doubts about the authenticity of the data, as the hotel business did not see an increase, but rather a significant decrease compared to last year.
The official CCP statistics on the sales of key retail and catering enterprises show a 6.3% year-on-year increase, a figure that differs significantly from the actual situation for many businesses.
A blogger from Shanghai complained on social media: “During the May Day holiday, the streets were bustling with tourists, but they were not entering stores to make purchases. There are many visitors in Shanghai, but they are reluctant to spend money, just strolling around. Nobody is buying anything. Businesses were hoping to make some profits during this May Day holiday, but now they are in a dire situation, even struggling to pay the rent.”
A coffee shop owner lamented, “During last year’s May Day holiday, we made 12,000 yuan in sales in one day, but yesterday, we only made 3,000 yuan, it’s like cutting down to the bone, we don’t know where the customers have gone.”
Mr. Huang, a mainland media figure, expressed to Epoch Times that during this year’s May Day holiday, many free attractions were overcrowded as people lacked the budget for consumption. “Now those with power and money in China are heading to Europe and America. Those with a little money are going to Southeast Asia and other nearby Asian countries. Many people who go abroad don’t want to come back, taking a substantial amount of money out and investing locally by purchasing properties or starting businesses. The remaining people are struggling to make ends meet,” he explained.
Mr. Long, an individual entrepreneur in mainland China, shared with Epoch Times, “The overall environment has made people afraid to spend, as the CCP bandits have messed things up and people have stopped playing along. Since the trade war began, the CCP has not kept its promises, leading to the withdrawal of foreign investments, factories losing orders, resulting in widespread unemployment. Along with various pressures and blockades, the economy is facing a severe downturn. Even those with money are afraid to spend now. To change this situation, the CCP must renounce one-party rule.”
(Translation of news article ends here.)