China sees new consumption trend in May Day holiday

Camping at neighboring areas became a top choice for many residents in China during the past Labor Day holiday from April 30 to May 4 as some parts of the country have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the data from online travel agencies including Ctrip and Fliggy, the Securities Daily reported on Thursday. 

Bookings for camping during the holiday grew more than 350 percent over the same period last month. Data from Ctrip also showed searching for "camping" as a key word rose 117 percent during the holiday month-on-month.

In addition, camping fueled new consumption trends in catering, accommodation and peripheral products such as tents, foldable tables, foldable chairs and portable cutleries. Sales of these products increased more than five times over the same period last year, Ren Tian, head of a shopping mall for travelling told China Central Television.

The holiday also stimulated the purchase of consumer goods in rural areas such as coffee, nuts and home appliances and boosted sales for seasonal vegetables and fruits. Multiple online platforms saw their agricultural product orders doubled, per a report from CCTV.

The box office in China raked in 293 million yuan ($44.31 million) over the holiday according to data from Dengta Data. It showed, as of May 3, 68 percent or 8,206 cinemas had opened business in the country. China International Capital Corporation said in a report that movies are a comparative rigid demand. When the pandemic is controlled once again, the opening rate of cinemas will continue to rise. The industry is expected to pick up gradually from the summer holiday.