China's five-day May Day holidays, which ended on Monday, have seen a surge in domestic travel and spending, with 314 million trips made nationwide as local governments launched various tourism products, cultural activities and consumer-friendly measures. The "integration of tourism and industries" model is playing a vital role in driving domestic consumption, an expert said on Tuesday.

According to the data center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), China recorded 314 million domestic trips during the five-day holidays, up 6.4 percent from a year earlier. Domestic tourists spent a total of 180.27 billion yuan ($24.79 billion), up 8 percent year-on-year.

Across the country, local governments have enhanced and diversified consumption scenarios to unlock consumer potential and invigorate the tourism market, offering tourists richer and more immersive experiences.

In Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, an artificial intelligence-powered "peak avoidance" system helped visitors optimize their travel routes, while the Qingcheng Mountain scenic area in Southwest China's Sichuan Province introduced exoskeleton robots and drone delivery services, bringing a futuristic touch to tourism, the MCT said on Tuesday.

Besides, nighttime cultural and tourism activities also thrived in the holidays, with cities in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region rolling out public carnivals, themed light shows and music festivals to boost the night economy. During the holidays, nationally monitored nighttime cultural and tourism consumption clusters received 75.95 million nighttime visits, up 5.2 percent year-on-year, MCT data showed.

The city of Shanghai received 16.5 million visits during the holidays, up 1.61 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the municipal government on Monday. The city recorded 20.11 billion yuan in total tourism-related spending including dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment - a year-on-year surge of 10.2 percent.

The integration of culture and tourism emerged as a highlight in Shanghai during the holidays. The city hosted 660 commercial performances, drawing an audience of 740,000 - up 25.91 percent from last year - and generating about 163 million yuan in box office revenue, a 59.41 percent year-on-year increase.

Per data released by the Ministry of Commerce, sales at key monitored restaurant chains nationwide rose by 8.7 percent year-on-year during the holiday.

"Our revenue saw a significant increase during the just-concluded May Day holidays, rising by roughly 30 to 35 percent compared with the same period last year," Liu Renjun, president of Hunan Xiangjun Catering Co, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"Compared with regular days, our revenue more than tripled. You can clearly feel the momentum of the consumption rebound," Liu said. His company runs eight large-scale restaurants in Central China's Hunan Province.

"During the holidays, we saw a lot of customers from out of town. A newly developed historic alley in Hunan's Yiyang city opened this year and drew visitors from all over the country. Being located near the site, one of our restaurants benefited greatly from the increased foot traffic," Liu added.

This year's May Day holidays saw a growing supply of integrated and innovative offerings, catering to consumers' evolving demand for upgraded experiences, Hong Tao, director of the Institute of Business Economics at Beijing Technology and Business University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The "integration of tourism and industries" model highlights the increasingly vital role of four key pillars of consumption - circulation, tourism, transportation and cultural industries - in driving domestic spending, Hong said.

In January, China's State Council released a list of measures to foster new growth points in the culture and tourism sector and boost related consumption, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

For instance, events will be launched to incentivize cultural and tourism consumption, encouraging measures such as offering more coupons and discounts for consumers, as well as more cultural, arts-related and other relevant services at public institutions, said the report.

In addition to booming domestic travel, cross-border tourism surged during the holidays.

Over the five days, China's immigration authorities processed a total of 10.896 million inbound and outbound trips, a 28.7 percent increase from last year's holiday period, data released by the National Immigration Administration showed on Tuesday.

There were 1.115 million border crossings by foreign nationals, up 43.1 percent year-on-year. Of those entering China, 380,000 trips were made under visa-free policies, a 72.7 percent surge from the same period last year.

According to China Media Group, South China's Hainan Province's offshore duty-free shopping market saw robust holiday consumption, with its Haikou customs overseeing 510 million yuan in duty-free purchases made by more than 79,100 shopper visits.

Visa-free entry policies and China's departure tax refund system have fueled a "travel plus shopping" trend among foreign tourists, travel platform Trip.com said in a report. Inbound travel bookings during the May Day holiday soared by 130 percent year-on-year, the platform's data showed.