Chinese Domestic Travel Bookings Rise 8-10% for 2026 Labour Day Holiday Amid Fuel Price Surge

Chinese tourists are set to travel in numbers that could match or surpass last year's figures during the five-day Labour Day holiday starting May 1, 2026, despite rising global fuel prices, according to analysts cited by the South China Morning Post.

Domestic flight bookings increased about 8 percent year on year ahead of the holiday, while domestic package-tour reservations rose about 10 percent, a survey by travel marketing and technology firm China Trading Desk found. Rural and second-tier city destinations in China gained popularity, along with short-haul trips to perennial favorites in other parts of East Asia.

“The bigger change is how they travel, not whether they travel,” said Subramania Bhatt, CEO of China Trading Desk. China will observe the Labour Day holiday, also called May Day, from May 1 to 5, 2026. In some regions, overlapping school spring breaks will extend time off to up to eight days for students.

Fuel prices escalated due to the war in Iran. -Israeli military strikes that began on February 28, 2026. The United States subsequently imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports. 63 a barrel for the week ending April 17, 2026, more than double the average from the previous year, according to the International Air Transport Association.

U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, data from Global Petrol Prices showed. These higher oil and jet fuel prices led to a 5 percent to 10 percent increase in base air fares, Oxford Economics stated in a research note released on April 16, 2026.