Industry data compiled by several Chinese online travel agencies (OTA) suggest that the upcoming 1–5 May “Golden Week” will mark the most internationalised Labour Day holiday since 2019. According to figures quoted by Global Times on April 23, searches for inbound travel products have jumped 364 percent month on month, while bookings for transportation and accommodation in major Chinese cities are up nearly 40 percent year on year.
![May Day bookings show strong inbound interest as China’s visa easing bites]()
Whether you are taking advantage of the new visa-free schemes or still need a traditional entry permit, VisaHQ’s China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) can streamline the entire process. The platform tracks real-time eligibility rules, auto-fills the latest consular forms, and can submit applications on your behalf; corporate mobility teams can even plug VisaHQ’s API into their booking tools to monitor visa status alongside flights and hotels.
Inbound demand is being driven by the visa-free policy extended to 50 countries and by widespread resumption of direct flights. Tongcheng Travel lists South Korea, Egypt, Russia, Italy and the United Kingdom among the top ten origin markets; South-Korean bookings for Jeju-to-China routes are more than 150 percent higher than a month ago. At the same time, volatile jet-fuel prices and aircraft shortages are forcing airlines to cancel some long-haul services, nudging would-be outbound Chinese tourists to pivot to domestic “experience-rich” itineraries. For corporate mobility managers, the figures point to tight seat and hotel inventory in the first week of May. Executives attending trade fairs in Shanghai or site visits in the Greater Bay Area should secure refundable fares immediately and budget for elevated room rates. Companies hosting internal conferences in tourist hotspots such as Chengdu or Guilin may need to increase per-diem allowances because premium hotel categories are reporting 90 percent occupancy for the holiday period. On the policy side, analysts say the surge validates Beijing’s incremental approach to opening: unilateral 30-day visa-free entry, a 240-hour transit waiver covering 65 ports, and fully digital arrival cards. Investors will be watching Q2 tourism-revenue data to gauge whether the influx translates into sustained consumer spending. Should inbound receipts accelerate, officials may fast-track planned pilots that would grant 60-day visa-free stays to high-growth-sector investors and remove the 30-day exit-re-entry cooling-off requirement for repeat short-term business visits.
Whether you are taking advantage of the new visa-free schemes or still need a traditional entry permit, VisaHQ’s China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) can streamline the entire process. The platform tracks real-time eligibility rules, auto-fills the latest consular forms, and can submit applications on your behalf; corporate mobility teams can even plug VisaHQ’s API into their booking tools to monitor visa status alongside flights and hotels.
Inbound demand is being driven by the visa-free policy extended to 50 countries and by widespread resumption of direct flights. Tongcheng Travel lists South Korea, Egypt, Russia, Italy and the United Kingdom among the top ten origin markets; South-Korean bookings for Jeju-to-China routes are more than 150 percent higher than a month ago. At the same time, volatile jet-fuel prices and aircraft shortages are forcing airlines to cancel some long-haul services, nudging would-be outbound Chinese tourists to pivot to domestic “experience-rich” itineraries. For corporate mobility managers, the figures point to tight seat and hotel inventory in the first week of May. Executives attending trade fairs in Shanghai or site visits in the Greater Bay Area should secure refundable fares immediately and budget for elevated room rates. Companies hosting internal conferences in tourist hotspots such as Chengdu or Guilin may need to increase per-diem allowances because premium hotel categories are reporting 90 percent occupancy for the holiday period. On the policy side, analysts say the surge validates Beijing’s incremental approach to opening: unilateral 30-day visa-free entry, a 240-hour transit waiver covering 65 ports, and fully digital arrival cards. Investors will be watching Q2 tourism-revenue data to gauge whether the influx translates into sustained consumer spending. Should inbound receipts accelerate, officials may fast-track planned pilots that would grant 60-day visa-free stays to high-growth-sector investors and remove the 30-day exit-re-entry cooling-off requirement for repeat short-term business visits.
