During this May Day holiday, tourists waiting in endless lines was a common sight at scenic spots, which shows that Chinese people's passion for traveling is continuing to grow. People grasped this opportunity to travel, despite knowing that tourist spots and public transportation would be crowded.

While tourism remains a key driver of domestic consumption, the rapid growth in the sector has also brought problems. The lack of proper management of tourism is one of the issues that need to be addressed. The demand for public services greatly increases during the peak travel periods. Better preparation is required to cater to the needs of the increased number of tourists, for instance, putting more temporary toilets in areas with a high density of tourists.

The trend also indicates that the amount of annual paid leave supplementing the public holidays has failed to satisfy people's travel needs. Enterprises across China have implemented policies on paid leave in recent years. People should be encouraged to travel outside the peak holiday periods in order to avoid the strain on services which occurs each public holiday.

Imbalances in tourism resources are another cause of poor travel experience during festivals. It is difficult for places lacking cultural and ecological features to develop the tourism industry and attract people. As a result, overcrowding of big cities and popular scenic spots during the holidays is inevitable. However, there is room for improvement in the industry. Many rural and mountainous areas have precious tourism resources, which have great potential to be developed into tourist destinations.

(This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in Qianjiang Evening News on May 5)