Extended holiday boosts medium- and short-distance travel

More Chinese will take medium- and short-distance trips during the May Day holiday after it was extended to four days and travel time by high-speed train was shortened, according a travel report released recently.

The Labor Day holiday this year has been extended from one to four days, according to the State Council's response to an appeal from the public in March.

The news came as a surprise and has led to a number of travel plan changes, as many choose new destinations a short or medium distance away instead of suburban trips, said Feng Rao, data research center manager of Mafengwo, a major online travel service provider and tourist information-sharing platform in China.

Travel plans to Sanya, Luoyang and Enshi, three Chinese tourist cities, grew most rapidly — by 15.4%, 13.6% and 11.6% respectively — due to the extended holiday, according to a report from Mafengwo.

With a new railway operating plan put into use from April 10 offering more high-speed train routes, high-speed train trips are easier and more convenient.

Take Luoyang in Henan province as an example. People living in Suzhou, Xuzhou and Jiaozuo, places where travel time to Luoyang by high-speed train is five hours or less, have turned their eyes to the city.

In terms of transportation methods, high-speed train is preferred by travelers for the four-day vacation. In most cases, it takes travelers under five hours to get to their destinations.

In addition Shanghai's Disney theme park, Guangzhou's Chimelong Safari Park and Chongqing's Hongyadong were predicted to be the hottest three tourist attractions on the Chinese mainland.