Chaos as millions 'suffer' during Chinese national holiday: 'Dystopian nightmare'
The five-day Labour Day holiday has seen tourism rebound in dramatic fashion in China.
Hordes of tourists crammed together at famous landmarks is a tell-tale sign of a Chinese national holiday. And while the pandemic proved a devastating blow for China's domestic tourism, the chaos has emphatically returned.
Passenger travel on the first day of China's five-day Labour Day holiday surged 151.8 per cent from the same day last year, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday, with a total of 56.99 million trips made. The holiday is expected see the movement of up to 240 million people.
Remarkable images show travellers queuing hundreds of metres in their quest to experience some of the nation's most recognisable sights, including the Great Wall of China which has sold all passes for the holiday.
Many were pictured without face masks, a sign of how removed China now is from its once meticulous and draconian Covid-19 restrictions which left hundreds of millions in lockdowns over a three-year period.
The country has well and truly opened up, and overall journeys during the holiday are expected to exceed pre-pandemic numbers.
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While health authorities had warned Covid cases were rising prior to the holiday, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention noted more than 80 per cent of the country had contracted the virus in the three months to February.
China's railways reached a travel peak on the 1st day of the May Day holidays on Sat (Apr 29). A record high of 19.661 million passenger trips were made, and 12,064 passenger trains operated. pic.twitter.com/00QOqEXmYX
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) April 30, 2023
Huge crowds described as 'dystopian nightmare'
Vision of huge crowds has gone viral on Chinese social media site Weibo, with many questioning people's desire to go when huge crowds are expected.
"I just don't understand," one person said.
"It's also good to stay at home and watch other people stuck in traffic jams," another joked.
A post by China Daily showing huge crowds at a train station prompted one user to brand the situation a "dystopian nightmare".
Many tourism departments of Chinese cities and provinces continued to call on travellers to visit their region – a move questioned by many online who said such a message would only worsen the overcrowding and "suffering" of visitors. Some users online suggested there was a push to boost tourism revenue with little care for the welfare of visitors, however state media continues to boast of record numbers.
Some Weibo users sympathised with those who travelled for sightseeing, saying people get such little time off work they have no choice over when they go.
Tourists sleeping in bathrooms
One disturbing post on Weibo revealed tourists were resorting to sleeping in public toilets as they failed to secure accomodation in some of the most visited locations. "Speechless," one user wrote as he shared images of tourists on the bathroom floor.
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