Japan and South Korea are proving to be the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists during the upcoming May Day holiday, according to local travel agencies.
Zhang Nan, a 29-year-old woman living in Beijing, said she had planned to visit South Korea during the three-day holiday, but is yet to confirm a booking, because "agencies told me all their products to the country were fully booked weeks ago". Zhang said she was inspired to travel there by a recent relaxation in visa conditions.
Ctrip.com International Inc, China's largest online travel agency by market share, confirmed that the validity period of multiple-entry visas to South Korea will be prolonged from one or three years to five years starting from Monday, and that visa applications will be accepted from more types of travelers, depending on their professions.
Ctrip said its bookings to Japan and South Korea during the approaching holiday have increased more than 100 percent compared with the same period of 2014.
"We expect the two countries to become the most popular destinations among Chinese outbound visitors, ahead of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region which has been the top destination for Chinese mainland travelers for years," said Dai Yu, marketing director of Ctrip's tourism department.
Tours to Japan departing on May 1 have been sold out for more than three weeks, Dai said. Some travelers have started booking tours to Japan, he said, departing late May and early June because of the holiday rush.
The prices of tours to the two countries during the early-May break cost about 800 to 1,000 yuan ($161) lower than the peak summer season, Dai said.
The easier visa policies and the proximity of the two countries were the main reasons given for traveling there.
"I only have three days' holiday from May 1, not enough to fly to long-haul destinations," said Julia Yang, a 28-year-old woman who will spend her holiday in Japan.
Yang said Japan is a perfect destination for a holiday, as it only takes around three hours to fly from Beijing to Tokyo.
Li Mengran, manager of Beijing Utour International Travel Service Co's public relations department, said both Japan and South Korea are suitable destinations for both families and younger travelers.
"Every one of our tour products departing (to there) before May 20 is fully booked," she said.
Tongcheng Network Technology Share Co, China's fourth-largest online travel agency based in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, said it has taken more than 50,000 bookings for tours to the two countries during the May Day holiday.
Liu Qing, chief executive officer of its outbound tourism department, said that it is becoming common for the Chinese to "travel around the world during every holiday".
