Chongqing - Chongqing experienced a strong economic and cultural boost during the 2025 May Day holiday, as diverse tourism offerings, cultural events, and consumer incentives drew millions of visitors and locals into a vibrant web of leisure and spending.
Three hundred fourteen million domestic trips were made nationwide over the five-day break, marking a 6.4% year-on-year increase, with total domestic tourism revenue reaching nearly 180.27 billion yuan (about 24.91 billion U.S. dollars), up 8%. Chongqing alone welcomed over 18.58 million domestic visits, up 10.4%, generating 15.171 billion yuan in spending, a 16.3% rise, while the city’s overall consumption during the holiday climbed 6.5% compared to last year.
According to Tujia, a Chinese homestay booking platform, this May Day marked the homestay sector's hottest travel period in recent years. Chongqing ranked second nationwide in homestay bookings, just behind Chengdu, with all rooms at many popular properties fully booked well before the holiday. Notably, over half of the guests were out-of-town visitors.
Crowds fill the Chongqing Hongyadong scenic area during the May Day holiday. (Photo/Zhang Jinhui, Visual Chongqing)
Abundant offerings drive citywide consumption
Districts and counties across Chongqing launched themed events tailored to seasonal travel, social gatherings, and local experiences. Rongchang District’s Braised Goose Intangible Cultural Heritage Food Season offered an "N+1" mix of cuisine, tourism, and heritage-themed packages, propelling retail sales to a historic 2 billion yuan, a 258% surge. Meanwhile, Yuzhong District promoted “slow shopping and leisure,” Yubei released a consumer map alongside lifestyle and fashion events, Shapingba's "Love Chongqing" campaign lit up the business corridor, and Nan’an’s "May Day Carnival" activated local malls and pedestrian streets.
The Chongqing Rongchang District People's Government cafeteria serves over 10,000 people daily during the May Day holiday. (Photo/Long Fan)
Nearly 150 consumer-promotion events were held citywide. Tourists also benefited from 39 million yuan worth of travel vouchers and 10 million yuan in ride-sharing and travel subsidies—all part of a diversified effort to boost tourism-linked consumption.
Special events inject new energy into tourism
Chongqing’s malls and business districts used the holiday to unveil immersive and creative consumer experiences. Flagship malls such as IFS, Longfor Times Paradise Walk, and The Ring featured art exhibitions, debut IP showcases, and interactive markets. Others like Florentia Village and New Century Department Stores distributed vouchers and rolled out themed promotions. Retail giant JD MALL offered multi-tiered discounts supported by national and bank-level subsidies.
These efforts paid off—consumption across the city’s five core commercial areas (Jiefangbei, Guanyinqiao, Yangjiaping, Nanping, and Sanxia Square) rose 9.2% year over year.
Unique tourism formats further energized the market. Events like the "Charming Chongqing" drone light show and the second Low-Altitude Flight Consumption Week introduced novel experiences such as paragliding and delta wing flights. International restaurant debuts, including Aleia from Spain and Nagamoto from Japan, added flavor to the urban experience.
On May 3, a visitor experiences skydiving at the training base in Liangping District, Chongqing. (Photo/Zheng Yu, Visual Chongqing)
Districts and counties added their own flair—Tongliang organized folk experiences and heritage tours, Wushan brought in AI robots and bionic dogs for smart check-ins and immersive site visits, Hechuan hosted a 10,000-person crayfish hotpot festival, and Bishan spotlighted local "Laifeng Fish" cuisine. Overall, Chongqing’s catering sector saw a 7.7% increase in revenue during the holiday.
Cultural spaces and heritage programs thrive
Cultural venues also saw robust engagement in Chongqing. Key leisure districts welcomed nearly 3.24 million visits, up 38.59%, with top destinations including Shibati Traditional Block, Danzishi Old Street, and Longmenhao Old Street.
Performance venues staged 363 shows, up 28.7%, drawing 91,000 attendees. Public art museums hosted 51,000 visits, a 25% increase year-on-year.
The city's 42 libraries and 41 cultural centers offered free access, attracting 963,500 in-person visits and providing 608,100 online services. Meanwhile, 126 museums and memorial halls hosted 60 special exhibitions and 76 educational programs, engaging more than 1.4 million visitors, a 9.22% rise.
Grassroots culture also flourished: 358 community events drew over 1.01 million participants, and more than 210 intangible cultural heritage events were staged, up 15% in number, with over 1 million visits, a dramatic 82% increase compared to last year.
From heritage cuisine to drone shows, fashion-forward malls to family-friendly performances, Chongqing’s 2025 May Day holiday demonstrated the city’s dynamic fusion of tradition and innovation and its rising profile as a premier destination for culture, tourism, and consumption.