China's May Day travel on track to top pre-COVID levels

Domestic bookings and rail travel soar with service sector set to boom

20230427N Shanghai railway station

Travelers pack Shanghai's Hongqiao railway station on April 26 ahead of the May Day holiday break. (China Daily via Reuters)

TOMOKO WAKASUGI, Nikkei staff writer

SHANGHAI -- Free from pandemic lockdowns, more people are expected to travel in China during the upcoming five-day May Day holiday than they did before the COVID-19 outbreak in a boost to the leisure and hospitality sectors.

Bookings for domestic hotels and air travel from Saturday through Wednesday have exceeded 2019 levels, according to Trip.com Group, China's leading online travel agency, though it has not disclosed specific numbers.

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