Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily news

A growing number of local residents plan to travel during the upcoming May Day holiday week, with overseas tours proving very popular, today's Jiefang Daily reported.
Local travel agencies will stop receiving bookings by early or mid April for most of their overseas tours for the May holiday week. Unlike the previous price hikes during the golden week October holiday, the May overseas tours have not seen large increases, with European tour prices increasing by only about 10 percent.
Shanghai China International Travel Service Co Ltd charges 9,600 yuan (US$1,156) for an eight-day tour to five European countries during the May holiday, the same price as it charged in April, and the price for a 15-day tour to 12 European countries is still only 13,500 yuan.
The eight-day tour to South Africa, at from 13,500 to 14,400 yuan for the holiday, is about 1,000 yuan higher than the standard price.
Tours to both Europe and Australia have aroused strong public interest, with more than half of the quotas already filled, said an industry analyst.
The devastating earthquake in Indonesia has cast a shadow over tours to Southeast Asia, where the number of tourists is likely to be from twenty to thirty percent lower than planned. Many travel agencies have offered domestic tours to the sea as a replacement. The price of Hainan tour has increased by 25 percent from usual, but is still attracting many tourists.