As the traditional day of the tomb approaches in early April, transportation ticket booking has been increasing. Chinese tourism experts have stated that the boom is expected as demand since the Spring Festival holiday has been restricted by COVID-19 prevention measures.

Data from qunar.com have shown that, as of Tuesday, the current number of Tomb-sweeping-day air ticket bookings is 1.3 times the number of 2019 air tickets. And media sources report that reservations for train tickets for the holidays have flourished, and tickets have been sold off for many routes in minutes.
  
As the traditional Tomb-sweeping Day holiday in early April approaches, bookings for transportation tickets have gone up. Experts said that China's tourism sector will experience a boom as demand was restrained due to COVID-19 prevention measures since the Spring Festival holiday.

Data from qunar.com showed that, as of Tuesday, the current number of air ticket bookings for the Tomb-sweeping Day holidays is 1.3 times that of the same period in 2019. And media reported that bookings for train tickets for the holidays have been flourishing, and tickets for many routes have been sold out within minutes. 

"Hot ticket sales are expected, as travel demand has been pent up since the Spring Festival holidays. Demand is being released as restrictions on the movement of people are eased," Zhang Lingyun, director of the Tourism Development Academy at Beijing Union University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The Chinese government has been urging people during the Spring Festival to remain in their working cities as a result of sporadic regional outbreaks. However, with the situation improving progressively, many towns have reduced travel restrictions.

According to Gao Fu, the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no evidence that travel should be restricted during the Tomb-sweeping Day holidays as the weather warms, which slows the spread of coronavirus.

The tourism statistics have risen since early March, according to a study published by lvmama.com - a Chinese online travel platform. Most Chinese visit local scenic spots are the best choice, although young people and couples are more prepared to travel.

"Many people did not go back to their hometowns or travel at all during the Spring Festival holiday, but the demand is still there. Under the easing of pandemic prevention measures, this released demand will be a strong driver for China's tourism sector this year," Zhang said.

According to Zhang, the outbreak provided structural opportunities for domestic industry players, despite the negative impact of the pandemic on tourism as the travel abroad was reduced.

"Normally, overseas travel accounts for a big part of China's tourism, but the pandemic has changed the structure as overseas travel is restrained," Zhang said

"China has many places to absorb the demand that overseas travel would have met, such as Sanya in South China's Hainan Province. If Chinese tourism providers seize the opportunity to meet the demand of these groups, they would have strong growth in the near future," Zhang said.