Small Town and Event Tourism Thrive, Experiential Cultural and Travel Consumption Continues to Heat Up

Scenic area tickets sold out, popular homestays fully booked, and long queues outside time-honored restaurants... During this May Day holiday, travelers' enthusiasm for outings continued to surge. On May 5th, MEITUAN released the "2026 May Day Consumption Insights Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"). Data shows that, driven by the combined effect of spring break and extended leave arrangements, travel scale during this year's May Day period saw significant growth, with medium to long-distance trips over 300 kilometers accounting for 46% of travel orders. The top 10 popular destination cities were Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Nanjing.

Meanwhile, AI tools have also become important assistants for many tourists in planning their itineraries. The Report indicates that during the May Day holiday, inquiries to MEITUAN's AI assistant "Xiao Tuan" increased by 89% compared to the Spring Festival holiday, with an average message completion rate of 61%. Outdoor, cultural, and experiential destinations were the most concentrated areas of user inquiries, highlighting the continued rise of experiential cultural and travel consumption.

Small Town Tourism and Event Tourism Heat Up Integration of "Culture, Travel, Sports, and Commerce" Activates Consumption

The Report shows that this May Day, popular big cities were not the only answer. More and more tourists turned their attention to smaller towns that are "less crowded, pristine, and full of local flavor." Data reveals that the top 10 cities for homestay bookings during the May Day period were Kaifeng, Beihai, Datong, Dali, Yanbian, Rizhao, Jingdezhen, Jinzhou, Xishuangbanna, and Lijiang.

From a city tier perspective, third, fourth, and fifth-tier cities saw faster growth in visitor numbers, with over a quarter of users utilizing MEITUAN's AI assistant "Xiao Tuan" to discover niche destinations. Cities like Jingdezhen, Yibin, and Datong experienced peak visitor flows during the holiday. Data shows that hotel bookings in Jingdezhen increased by 36% year-on-year, in Yibin by 27%, and in Datong by 26%. These tourists moved away from "checklist-style sightseeing" and opted to immerse themselves in local culture and authentic cuisine. According to MEITUAN data, searches for "Jingdezhen cuisine" rose by 19% year-on-year, and for "Yibin cuisine" by 23%.

County-level destinations also enjoyed a spotlight moment. Shopping at the Yiwu International Trade City, experiencing fishing village culture in Wenling, and paying respects at the Confucius Temple in Qufu—these "hidden gem counties" are becoming new travel coordinates for young people. Data indicates that the top 10 popular districts and counties this May Day were Yiwu in Zhejiang, Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu, Yongjia in Zhejiang, Haining in Zhejiang, Yining in Xinjiang, Changshu in Jiangsu, Qufu in Shandong, Wenling in Zhejiang, Kuytun in Xinjiang, and Jiangyin in Jiangsu. Among these, search popularity for "Yiwu hotels" increased by 22% year-on-year, and for "Haining hotels" by 17%.

Furthermore, sports events represented by the Chinese Super League (CSL) and the Suzhou Super (Su Chao), as well as activities like music festivals and concerts, drove a wave of interest-centric travel consumption. During the May Day period, the Shanghai Stadium, with a capacity of 80,000, hosted the highly popular CSL matches. Data shows that during the matches, search popularity for "hotels near Shanghai Stadium" increased by 53% year-on-year. The events spurred not only accommodation but also local dining and consumption at surrounding scenic spots. During the May Day holiday, "Su Chao" events drove a 40% year-on-year increase in orders for Huaiyang cuisine; searches for "Nanjing duck blood and vermicelli soup" grew by 30% year-on-year, and for "Zhenjiang Three Delicacies" by 203%. Ticket popularity for classic scenic spots like the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Slender West Lake, and Humble Administrator's Garden also climbed simultaneously.

The Rise of "Seamless Travel" Deep Experiences in High Demand

The Report indicates that during the May Day period, "seamless travel" emerged as a new travel style among young people: more and more people are no longer altering their life rhythms for travel but instead "seamlessly" transferring their daily habits to the destination, traveling light, and living like locals in another city for a few days.

Data shows that during the May Day period, searches for "local specialty foods" increased by 86% year-on-year, and for "local cuisine" by 56%. Traffic from non-local users on the "Must-Eat List" on Dianping increased by nearly 250% compared to the period before the holiday. The top national commercial districts were Guangzhou's Chimelong area, Shenzhen's Longhua area, Foshan's Daliang area, Shanghai's Wujiaochang area, and Beijing's Wangfujing area. In Sanya, orders for beauty and skincare products delivered to hotels increased by 20% year-on-year, as tourists chose not to over-prepare before their trip but instead placed orders upon arrival for flexible arrangements.

Leisure, relaxation, and physical wellness during travel were also prominent. During the holiday, orders for head spa and massage services on MEITUAN increased by 15% compared to the pre-holiday period, and skin cleansing orders rose by 10%. Additionally, data shows that tourists traveling to Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and other places also extended fitness-related consumption into their journeys.

A relevant person in charge at MEITUAN Research Institute stated that as destination offerings continue to expand, the platform is helping tourists more conveniently discover urban characteristics by connecting diverse local life scenarios such as dining, accommodation, and leisure entertainment. This meets the demand for immediate consumption and personalized experiences at destinations, injecting fresh vitality into holiday consumption.