Hubei's tourism sector flourishes during May Day holiday

During the May Day holiday, Hubei province's tourism sector remained vibrant due to visa-free policies and outbound tax refunds. Six European and American tour groups, on average, visited the Three Gorges each day, drawn by the dramatic cliffs along the Yangtze River.

Under mostly clear skies, Hubei's A-level attractions welcomed 17.81 million visits over the holiday, a 25 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.

By focusing on inbound travel facilitation, the province upgraded cross-border mobile payments and introduced an instant refund tax rebate scheme. In Wuhan, the capital city, inbound tourism bookings jumped 70 percent year-over-year, a high growth rate among Central China cities.

Yichang city also shone in its holiday inbound market. A Southeast Asian charter flight landed daily, and an average of six European and American tour groups visited popular sites such as the Three Gorges Dam and the Three Gorges Tribe each day. The top five source markets were Hong Kong, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore.

Key provincial attractions ran at or near capacity, prompting crowd-control advisories at Yellow Crane Tower, Enshi Grand Canyon and the Three Gorges Dam. Wudang Mountain attracted 161,500 ticketed visitors — a 41 percent rise year-on-year — while the ancient battlefield of Chibi drew 105,700 visitors, up 80 percent.

Museum attendance was equally robust. Hubei's museums hosted 2.04 million visits, with both the Jingzhou and Yunmeng museums reporting near-sell-out conditions.

Meanwhile, several cities, including Xiangyang, Yichang and Jingmen, rolled out holiday convenience measures. Government parking lots opened free to the public, official canteens welcomed outside diners, and minor traffic violations were handled leniently. In Huanggang, selected city bus routes offered free rides.