CHINA saw a total of 230 million domestic tourist trips during the May Day holiday, up 119.7 percent from last year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Wednesday.

Tourism revenue reached 113.23 billion yuan (US$17.5 billion), up 138.1 percent from last year, according to the ministry.

Figures from CTrip.com Group, an online travel service provider, show that orders on its platform for the holiday rose by 270 percent year on year, even growing by 30 percent over the same period in 2019, before the novel coronavirus pandemic broke out.

It said that though the ministry required tourism attractions nationwide to strictly control the visitor flow over the break by ordering travelers to make reservations before trips, people still showed great passion for sightseeing.

Trip.com said that at its platform, single-day orders for attraction tickets during the break even rose fivefold over the same day in 2019.

Travel methods have also changed, according to travel agencies. Trip.com Group said that thanks to the toll-free policy on highways nationwide, trips by passenger cars surged, along with the market for rental cars.

It said that growth of orders for car rentals for the holiday marked the highest rise of 330 percent on a single day compared with same period of 2019.

Sales of air tickets and high-rated hotels also saw an upswing over the break. According to Qunar, another online travel agency, its platform saw reservations for holiday air tickets rise by 30 percent and those for hotels by 40 percent over 2019.

It said that travelers also spent more money over the holiday with average expenses — about 1,713 yuan — reaching a record high compared with same holiday in previous years.

NetsUnion, the Chinese online payment clearing house, and China UnionPay, a card payment giant, reported record online payments during the May Day holiday as people splurged on travel, catering and accommodations.

During the five-day holiday that concluded Wednesday, online payments via the two platforms reached 6.97 trillion yuan, marking a record high, data from the two platforms showed.

The holiday lasted from May 1 to 5 this year. (Xinhua)