Travelers choose rural escapes for May Day break

As China's popular tourist spots became overcrowded during the May Day holiday, lesser-known counties and small cities with rich cultural heritage and unique local cuisines emerged as favored destinations for young travelers and families, reflecting a shifting preference trend and increased consumer spending.

The five-day holiday, which ended on Monday, marked the last long break in the first half of the year.

"'Less-crowded destinations' and 'niche travel spots' became popular search terms on our platform before and during the holiday," said travel platform Qunar. "We noticed that some county-level destinations have won the hearts of users," Qunar said, and hotel bookings during the holiday spanned 1,230 counties — around 90 percent of all counties nationwide.