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Chinese consumers spent 180.27 billion yuan ($24.92 billion) during this year’s May Day holiday, marking an 8 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Despite the uptick, overall spending remained below pre-COVID levels, highlighting lingering weakness in the broader economic recovery, reported Reuters.
The five-day break, one of the most important on China’s holiday calendar, is often viewed as a key signal of household sentiment and discretionary spending strength in the world’s second-largest economy.
According to China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, domestic travel saw a 6.5 per cent rise, with 314 million trips recorded. Usage of Weixin Pay, one of the country’s most widely used digital payment platforms, also climbed by over 10 per cent year-on-year, particularly in restaurant-related transactions. Still, a closer look at individual spending reveals muted enthusiasm: per capita outlay edged up by just 1.5 per cent to 574.1 yuan—still short of the 603.4 yuan average seen in 2019.
Meanwhile, cinema revenues declined significantly. The box office brought in 747 million yuan during the holiday, representing roughly half the takings of the same period last year.