Shanghai recorded strong retail sales during the May Day holiday with picking up of spending around major business districts, shopping areas and dine-in locations.
From April 30 to May 4, the city's online and offline consumption reached 64.3 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.7 percent. Among them, offline consumption amounted to 36.95 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.9%. Online consumption amounted to 27.35 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.4%.
Major commercial districts launch over 300 events and kept the festive spirits active.
Consumer spending in the eight international-level consumption clusters, including East Nanjing Road, Middle Huaihai Road, Yuyuan, West Nanjing Road, Lujiazui, Xujiahui, North Bund, and Hongqiao International Central Business District, reached 2.77 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24.2%.
The citywide inbound tax refund sales were also strong thanks to a number of additional promotional campaigns and subsidies by retailers.
The number of transactions increasing by 248.6% year-on-year and the inbound tax refund sales amount increasing by 44% year-on-year. Tax refund products such as clothing, cosmetics, glasses, luggage, and department store goods are favored by overseas consumers.
Inbound travelers have fully embraced the convenience of user mobile wallet.
The amount of usage of Alipay's mobile payment through its own payment service as well as through the linkage of foreign digital wallet linked with Alipay, surged nearly 70 percent between May 1 to May 3 compared with a year ago.
Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing are the top three popular destinations for inbound visitors.
The number of tax refund handled through Alipay in the first three days of the May Day holiday also surged 40 percent from a month ago.
The number of dine-in consumers in Shanghai's catering sector increased by 1.1% year-on-year, and consumption amount increased by 2.5% year-on-year. Among them, the number of dine-in consumers at retaurants taking part in the "Global Taste in Shanghai" campaign increased by 14.1% year-on-year, and consumption amount increased by 17.0% year-on-year.
According to Meituan, the top five sources of non-local tourists traveling to Shanghai were Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Ningbo. The most popular scenic spots in Shanghai during the holiday were Shanghai Disney Resort, Shanghai Zoo, and Shanghai Wild Animal Park.
When visiting Shanghai, tasting authentic local cuisine is also a must for many tourists. Meituan data shows that during the holiday, searches for "local cuisine" increased by 24% year-on-year, and searches for the "must-eat Shanghai local dishes list" increased more than threefold.
Long-haul travels with over 300 kilometers accounted for 46 percent of total travel orders. The top five popular destination cities were Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Guangzhou. During the holiday, the number of queries to Meituan AI smart assistant "Ask Xiaotuan" increased by 89% compared to the Spring Festival period.
