By LI Tong, MENG Lingxi

Some 734 million people traveled during the Mid-Autumn break from September 10 to 12, generating 28.7 billion yuan (US$4.1 billion) in revenue. Both numbers are lower than the last year’s break and the small holidays in April and May due to the pandemic and lockdowns.

However, spending went up. Daily revenue generated by tourism was roughly 9.6 billion yuan, 50 percent higher than the Qingming (tomb-sweeping day) break in April and 10 percent higher than the Workers’ Day holiday in May.

More than 60 percent of travelers didn’t leave town but stayed at luxury local hotels. The volume of five-star hotel bookings was about 80 percent of the volume last year.

Camping was still a huge hit. Trip.com said camping orders on the platform increased 53 percent compared with the Dragon Boat Day holiday in early June. Fliggy also said camping orders quadrupled this year.

Fewer people traveled far by air. Data from Qunar.com suggested the average flight ticket price was 556 yuan, a new low in five years. Civil aviation service provider VariFlight said only 7,561 flights took off in the first two days of the break, 66 percent lower than last year.

Another failing business was the cinema. The box office of all cinemas in China recorded a pitiful 37.1 million yuan, less than half of the box office in 2019.