China’s May Labor Day holiday runs from 1-5 May and is a peak period for outbound trips. In Dragon Trail’s newest Chinese consumer survey, 24% of respondents said they planned to travel outbound during the May holiday. Here are their top destinations and travel plans.
Destinations
Most trips will be intra-regional. Among surveyed Chinese travelers who have outbound travel plans for the 2026 May holiday, South Korea is the most popular destination, chosen by 16.3% of respondents. After ranking as the top destination for the 2025 National Day holiday in our last sentiment survey (September 2025), it has again taken the top spot. Macao is the second most popular destination. Thailand has seen a moderate rebound, with 9% of respondents planning to visit, compared to 5% during the 2025 National Day holiday in our last sentiment survey. In contrast, the percentage of Chinese travelers choosing to visit Japan fell from 9.5% to 5.1% over the same comparison period.
Trip Duration
We asked Chinese outbound travelers about their intended travel duration for the May holiday. The most common choice was 3–5 days, selected by 48% of respondents. Notably, 44% of respondents plan to take extra leave to extend their holiday, with 33% expecting to travel for 6–10 days, and 11% planning to travel for more than 10 days.
Travel Spending
As for their total outbound travel budget during the May holiday, RMB10,000–20,000 (US$1,465–2,930) per person is the most common range, chosen by 28% of respondents. Notably, 15% of respondents have budgets over RMB50,000 (US$7,325) per person for the May holiday, with 7% of surveyed outbound travelers having budgets above RMB100,000 (US$14,650).
Travel Purpose
Relaxation and leisure is the top travel purpose for the 2026 May Labor Day holiday, chosen by 40% of surveyed Chinese outbound travelers. Tasting exotic cuisine (29%) ranks second, closely followed by enjoying natural scenery (28%) and experiencing local cultures and history (28%).
If you enjoyed this article based on the results of Dragon Trail’s newest Chinese Traveler Sentiment Survey, be sure to register for our webinar on 22 April for the rest of the survey results, via the link below.
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