Global Courant 2023-05-02 16:30:00
Travelers in China are used to sleeping in restrooms and restaurants, as the rise in “revenge travel” during the Labor Day holiday leaves hotels and tourist hotspots struggling to cope with the crowds of tourists.
A widely circulated video on Chinese social media showed domestic tourists napping shoulder-to-shoulder in a public toilet near one of the peaks of Huangshan in Anhui province, one of China’s most popular tourist destinations.
It was too late to go down the mountain, and because the hotels were full, the tourists had crouched in the restroom, according to the video, which quoted an employee from the tourist area.
In one of the videos, a voice can be heard reminding users not to disturb others using the toilet if they insist on sleeping there.
Dozens of university students have also been photographed, according to Chinese media, taking advantage of Haidilao’s long opening hours by using the chain’s outlets as free accommodation to save on hotel bills.
It has sparked discussion on Chinese social media, with netizens urging students to leave the restaurant for customers.
A WeChat post from the Communist Youth League of Heilongjiang Province showed pictures of pieces of luggage parked outside a Haidilao store in Nanjiang, adding that the use of Haidilao stores as free accommodation is gaining popularity.
The post also quoted a spokesman for the restaurant as saying the crowds had slowed things down there, adding that its proximity to the nearby Purple Mountain, or Zijin Shan, made it attractive to diners who wanted to watch the sunrise.
Millions of Chinese travelers have thronged major cities and landmarks during the National Labor Day holiday from April 29 through Wednesday, in what marks the first normal holiday period after pandemic restrictions were lifted in December.
This year’s Labor Day – traditionally one of China’s busiest travel seasons – is seen as a barometer of the recovery of the tourism industry and the wider Chinese economy, battered after three years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than 159 million trips were made by car, train, plane and water in the first three days of the five-day holiday, according to data from the Ministry of Transport quoted by the People’s Daily, an increase of 162 percent over the same period in 2022 .
Ahead of the expected travel rush, some cities have warned potential visitors about overcrowding as domestic tourism recovers after Beijing lifts Covid-19 restrictions.
