HOLIDAYMAKERS could have their wallets hit as air fares soar ahead of the May Day holidays, according to data from Ctrip, the biggest online flight reservation agency in China.
Flights to popular holiday destinations such as Xiamen and Sanya on Friday and Saturday were full price, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported. The same flights Thursday were selling at 20 percent discount.
The rise in prices is due to tight supply and high demand because many holidaymakers are combining two-to-three-day annual leave with the May Day holidays, said Shao Jihong, director of the flight reservation department of Ctrip.
Shao suggested traveling after May 1 because fares for flights departing Shenzhen would fall from May 1.
Sanya, Guilin, Xiamen, Chengdu and Kunming were particularly popular with travelers, Shao said.
Prices of package tours to Sanya had increased by 30 percent following the duty-free policy that took effect from April 20 in Hainan Province.
The price of a three-day package tour increased from 1,750 yuan (US$268) per person to 2,300 yuan per person, according to a source on the Yoee Web site which provides online holiday reservations.
Only first-class tickets were left for flights to Sanya on Friday. Five-star hotels in Sanya were already booked out.
Coastal cities in North China such as Qingdao and Dalian tend to see an increasing number of tourists as the weather warms up.
Trips to European countries are popular this year after trips to Japan were impacted by the nuclear crisis and many countries in Asia began charging visa fees.
Prices of European tours increased by about 10 percent due to an airlines fuel tax increase. (Tina Chen)
