Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily news

Local travel buffs might wait till May 4 and 5 to save money, as travel agencies plan to slash tour prices by 30 percent at that time to attract more travelers, today's Youth Post reported.
Many local travel agencies are offering preferential prices for the last days of the weeklong May holiday. Spring International Travel Service Co charges more than 4,000 yuan (US$482) for a Hainan tour that begins May 1 to 3, but the price plunges to 3,000 yuan on May 4 and is less than 2,500 yuan on May 5. Tour costs to such popular places as Lijiang and Jiuzhaigou also fall as of May 4.
By offering cheaper prices starting May 4, local travel agencies want to avoid crowds of tourists during the first three days of the holiday, said an industry analyst with the Spring International Travel Service Co.
During the previous golden-week holiday, a great number of tourists left for scenic spots in the first three days of the holiday. However, every scenic spot has a restriction on the number of tourists it will accomodate in order to control traffic flows, so it will be a problem for travel agencies with a large concentration of tourists in the first few days of the holiday, the analyst pointed out, adding that providing price cuts at the last couple of days is also helping to prolong the golden weeklong holiday.