On April 16th, the train tickets for the day before the May Day holiday (April 30th) were officially put on sale. A large number of passengers rushed to the 12306 platform to buy tickets at the first time. Some popular routes and time periods experienced difficulty in obtaining tickets, and tickets for popular train numbers and key sections were quickly sold out. The booming trend of train ticket pre-sales reflects the hot tourism market during this year's May Day holiday. According to data from Tongcheng Travel Platform, as of 10am on April 16th, several long-distance routes including Beijing Hong Kong, Beijing Guangzhou, and Shanghai Kunming that have already been put on sale have experienced a "flash sale". The popularity of intercity routes within an hour in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Beijing Tianjin Hebei, Chengdu Chongqing, and other regions has also surged. From the current booking situation, parent-child and family tours will become the main force. According to the person in charge of the Passenger Transport Center of China Railway Group, during this year's May Day holiday, it is expected that there will be strong demand for travel such as visiting relatives and friends, traveling for outings, and leisure vacations, and railway passenger flow will remain high. During this year's railway May Day holiday, the daily planned operation of passenger trains is about 13000. Affected by fluctuations in holiday prices and the increase in fuel surcharges, the cost of air travel has increased, but consumers' willingness to travel on May Day remains strong. The high popularity of advance booking of train tickets reflects the resilience and recovery trend of tourism consumption. ”Officials from Tongcheng Research Institute told reporters that the recent implementation of spring break policies in many places has helped alleviate the pressure of concentrated travel during the May Day holiday and provided new growth points for tourism consumption. As the May Day holiday approaches, domestic and international air ticket bookings have also entered a peak period. Data from multiple online travel platforms shows that during the May Day holiday, popular airline ticket prices have increased to varying degrees. According to data from Tongcheng Travel Platform, there is a significant trend in advance booking of air tickets and hotels, with Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Kunming, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen becoming popular destinations for domestic air tickets. Due to factors such as the increase in civil aviation ticket prices, some tourists have turned to railway travel. According to data from Qunar Travel, during this year's May Day holiday, there was a significant increase in destination bookings within a 5-hour drive from provincial capital cities, with hotel bookings in popular third tier and below cities doubling year-on-year. At the same time, independent travelers who have successfully purchased tickets have started planning their itineraries. Short distance and surrounding tours are highly favored, and domestic tours are about to usher in a new round of booking peaks. Overall tourism consumption is showing diversified development characteristics. According to data from Zhongxin Tourism, from April 1st to April 16th, the total retail sales during the May Day holiday increased by 53% year-on-year, and the product richness increased by 150% year-on-year. At present, domestic destinations and visa free outbound destinations are still receiving visitors, and it is expected that the number of visitors to Zhongxin Tourism during the May Day holiday will once again exceed 20000. The recovery momentum of outbound tourism continues to be released, highlighting the popularity of long-term and niche destinations; The growth rate of domestic tourism is significant, and new formats such as flower viewing and hiking have become new hotspots for family travel. The explosive growth of domestic tourism during the May Day holiday highlights the strong vitality of the market, and the regional tourism market is heating up comprehensively, reflecting the continuous increase in tourists' demand for high-quality and differentiated tourism experiences. We integrate unique features such as seaside cycling, flower strolls, handmade experiences, tea and flower appreciation into our domestic tourism products, accurately matching the personalized needs of tourists. In the future, innovative formats such as night economy, intangible cultural heritage inheritance, and digital cultural tourism will further activate the potential of the domestic tourism market. ”Li Mengran, the media public relations manager of Zhongxin Tourism Group, told reporters. Supported by the continuous efforts of cultural and tourism policies and the steady release of consumer willingness, the market heat during this year's May Day holiday is expected to reach a historic high, injecting new vitality into economic growth and consumption upgrading. Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Research Institute, told reporters that based on the monitoring of travel intentions in the second quarter, the tourism heat during the May Day holiday in 2026 will still maintain a high level. (New Society)