China has recorded vibrant consumption growth during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday. The holiday travel boom was boosted by the overlap of the festival and spring breaks for primary and secondary school students in many regions, official data showed on Monday.
During the holiday, which lasted from April 4 to 6, the average daily sales of key retail and catering enterprises monitored by the Ministry of Commerce increased by 2.4 percent year on year.
Hotel accommodation consumption on major platforms increased by 2.6 percent year on year, while intercity travel trips grew by 15.1 percent, the data showed.
During the holiday, car rental orders increased by about 40 percent from a year earlier, driven by a surge in family trips, according to the ministry.
The ministry's data also indicated that during the holiday, online sales revenue of smart products, including smart glasses, smart watches and bands, and smart blood glucose meters, saw marked increases.
Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, falls on April 5 this year. It is a traditional Chinese festival for people to pay tribute to the dead and worship their ancestors. The holiday also provides a short break for people looking to engage in outdoor activities and sightseeing.
An estimated 845.38 million passenger trips were made across China during the holiday, up 6 percent year on year. The daily average number of trips reached 281.79 million, according to transportation authorities.
