Ramping up investments as camping catches fire

In Guangdong and Sichuan provinces, the average booking volumes of B&B during the May Day holiday surged 16 times compared with the previous week, Tujia said.

"B&B homestay serves as an important consumption scenario, and many B&B owners tend to offer enriched activities in nearby regions for their guests. B&B can also help stimulate consumption of other sectors such as catering and nearby scenic spots," said Hu Yang, vice-president of Tujia.

"Tourism vouchers aim to encourage local residents to take short trips in their own regions, which can help toward consumption growth," Hu said.

During the May Day holiday, the average price of hotel rooms nationwide hit a five-year low. In Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Hangzhou of Zhejiang province and Sanya of Hainan province, the booking price of some luxury hotel rooms was only half of what it was in the same period last year. The average price of flight tickets dropped 25 percent year-on-year, Qunar said.

Meanwhile, travelers booked train tickets within their regions of residence. During the holiday, the booking volumes of train tickets between Shenzhen and Guangzhou of Guangdong province, and those between Chengdu and Chongqing, were the highest, said Tongcheng Travel, a Suzhou-based online travel agency.

"Although the pandemic has had a temporary negative impact on consumer confidence, thereby affecting their willingness to go on trips, and some regions have limited the travel of students, going somewhere nearby still remains the choice of many families during holidays. Thus, sightseeing spots in surrounding areas and urban parks have become their best choices," said Zhang Mingyang, a senior researcher at Tongcheng Travel.