‘Red tourism’ in China ahead of Communist Party centenary appears rampant … but with borders shut, where else is there to go?

Travel teaches us a lot. Visiting a destination gives us insight into its people, culture, cuisine and history. The latter was apparently high on the agenda of mainland Chinese tourists, whose Labour Day holiday itineraries were led by visits to sites central to the founding of the Communist Party, ahead of its upcoming centenary on July 1.

Before the extended public holiday, which ran from May 1 to 5, online travel agent Trip.com predicted that as many as 200 million domestic trips would be made. That’s not only a record-breaking number – up from 195 million in 2019 – it also lends credence to the idea that “revenge travel” is a genuine phenomenon.

No doubt helping drive interest in domestic hotspots is the fact that international travel is all but off the cards, with most returning travellers subject to a 14-day quarantine in their city of arrival and some facing further enforced isolation when they reach their hometown. As Reuters recently reported: “Before the pandemic, the Labour Day holiday was a peak period for international trips, with Thailand, Japan and Singapore the hottest destinations.”

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