Wuxi Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off in scenic spot Yuantouzhu. Photo credit: Fliggy

Domestic travel bookings for China’s upcoming Labor Day have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, according to data from Alibaba Group’s online travel platform Fliggy.

Between April 29 and May 3, total bookings for flights, accommodations, group travel items, and tickets to scenic spots increased by 1000% compared to the same period last year, surpassing the volume in 2019.

“Travel demand continues to recover and order volumes have peaked a few times this spring,” Wang Jingjing, who oversees Labor Day sales at Fliggy, told Alizila in a written interview.

Hundreds of concerts and music festivals are set to take place across the country, and will be the first live entertainment many consumers have seen in three years.

Hotel bookings for Labor Day concerts and music festivals more than tripled year-on-year, according to the platform.

Traditional tourist cities, like financial hub Shanghai or panda hotspot Chengdu, remain popular, but with more options than ever before, curious travelers are propelling obscure destinations into the spotlight.

This includes the towns of Zibo and Weifang in eastern China, which recorded the highest growth in travel bookings alongside Xuzhou and Nantong in Jiangsu province.

Bookings for international excursions on Fliggy also hit an all-time high for the Labor Day holiday, more than tripling the previous record set during the Spring Festival this year.

“We believe that as international flight capacity recovers, outbound travel will continue to rise, building on the current significant growth,” Wang added.

Cheaper international flights contributed to a 46.2% decrease in the average cost of overseas travel.

Day trips to prominent sites, such as Phuket and Similan in Thailand or the Sabah Kota Kinabalu Red Forest in Borneo, are among the most popular types of tour reservation.