Cross-regional travel expected to hit 294 million on Day 4 of May Day holiday 2026

On the fourth day of the 2026 May Day holiday (May 4), nationwide inter-regional passenger travel is expected to reach 293.794 million trips, an increase of 4.2% year-on-year. This includes approximately 20.3 million railway passengers (up 2.6% year-on-year), 269.71 million road travelers (up 4.4% year-on-year), 1.624 million waterway passengers, and 2.16 million air travelers. According to data previously released by the Ministry of Transport, total inter-regional passenger travel during the five-day May Day holiday in 2026 is projected to reach 1.52 billion trips, averaging 304 million trips per day—a 4% year-on-year increase. During the holiday period, tolls will be waived for small passenger vehicles with seven seats or fewer on national expressways, effective from 00:00 on May 1 to 24:00 on May 5. Road travel remains dominant during the holiday, accounting for an estimated 91.6% of all inter-regional passenger movement. The average daily traffic volume on national expressways is expected to reach approximately 64 million vehicles, including about 15.4 million new-energy vehicles per day—representing 24% of total traffic and marking a 33% year-on-year increase.