Korea, Thailand hot destinations

Short-distance overseas trips and self-help travel products are proving popular during the upcoming three-day May Day holiday, travel agencies in the city said yesterday.

South Korea, Thailand and Japan are among the most favored overseas destinations.

There are more people purchasing self-help travel products including accommodation and air tickets instead of group tours because of the hiked-up prices after the first tourism law came into effect on October 1.

South Korea is popular among locals partially because of the instability in some Southeast Asian countries, but Thailand remains a hot destination, the travel agencies said.

There is a significant rise of tourists for the May Day holiday compared to the Qingming Festival, according to online travel operator Tongcheng.

South Korea and Thailand are the most popular overseas destinations, while beach resorts like Xiamen and Sanya, Guilin in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province are favored for domestic destinations, it said.

Shanghai Datong Travel Agency said the most popular routes for self-drives are to the neighboring cities like Taizhou in Jiangsu Province and Suzhou's Zhenhu Town as well as Zhejiang's Lin'an City and Damingshan scenery area in Zhejiang.

A six-day Royal Caribbean International's cruise trip to South Korea is the best-selling product.