Shenzhen leads Guangdong in tourism bookings

Shenzhen ranked first in Guangdong Province in terms of the number of tourism orders during the May Day holiday, according to market data released by food-delivery platform Meituan on Saturday.

For the first three days of the May Day holiday, the number of tourism bookings — scenic spots, accommodations, and transportation — in Guangdong increased by more than 80% year on year. Guangdong’s top three destination cities were Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Dongguan.

Visitors browse stalls at the 2024 All For Coffee festival at One Avenue in Futian District during the May Day holiday. The weeklong event attracted dozens of coffee brands from home and abroad. Lin Songtao

The data revealed that Shenzhen drew not just tourists from Guangdong, but also visitors from major cities such as Beijing, Wuhan, Shanghai, and Chengdu.

During the holiday period, the special page dedicated to Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area travel and entertainment information on Dazhongdianping, a popular restaurant customer review app in China, experienced a 30-fold increase in views compared to the pre-holiday period.

“During this May Day holiday, our restaurant was very busy every day, with an average daily customer flow increase of about 15% compared to last year,” a staffer told Shenzhen Special Zone Daily. The restaurant had sold meal e-vouchers through livestreaming sessions before the holiday to attract customers.

Shopping malls emerged as the primary choice for citizens to spend their holiday time.

MixC World shopping center in Nanshan District witnessed long queues of customers during the holiday period. A citizen surnamed Lu said that MixC World was exceptionally busy during the holiday, with extensive lines at both Chinese and Western eateries. Numerous retail outlets introduced special promotions and discounts to entice consumers.

The All For Coffee festival, held at One Avenue in Futian District, also attracted a large number of visitors over the five-day holiday. More than 100 coffee brands participated in the festival. A local coffee brand mentioned leveraging the holiday tourism influx to enhance the brand’s visibility.