HOLIDAYMAKERS in Shenzhen are becoming more rational when it comes to traveling during the annual seven-day May Day holiday, recent statistics show.

While about 60 percent of local travelers stuck to the traditional plan of leaving May 1, a second outbound peak was observed in the middle of the holiday when the air tickets were cheaper, according to a Daily Sunshine report yesterday (May 7).

"There is a small boom when the travel agencies announced that outbound air tickets to Haikou, Sanya, Guilin and Wuyishan Mountain were discounted by 60 percent from May 4," said Li Dangsheng, an operation manager with Shenzhen Comfort Travel Service.

The travelers leaving late included those who worked in the first part of the holiday, the elderly, freelancers and private business owners, Li said.

Generally speaking, however, there were fewer people booking group tours through agencies. A survey by the tourism bureau showed that some 76.9 percent of local travelers went on holiday with family and friends, 6 percent higher than last year.

Only 6.1 percent of the interviewees said they joined group tours arranged by agencies and 4.7 percent traveled alone. The other 12.3 percent were on corporate tours.

During the seven-day holiday, major tourist attractions in Shenzhen raked in 2.06 billion yuan (US$257,500) from some 2.88 million visitors, increasing by 2.85 percent from the same period last year, according to the tourism bureau.

Some 480,000 tourists were from overseas, contributing US$51 million to the city, the bureau said.

Editor: Wing