BEIJING — It is estimated that Chinese travelers made 56.37 million domestic trips on May 1, the start of the five-day May Day holiday, official data showed on May 1. 

Compared with the same period last year, this holiday figure surged by 111.5 percent, the Ministry of Transport said.

The ministry estimated that airlines handled nearly 1.89 million passenger trips on the same day. The flow of highway traffic amounted to 36 million trips.

Railway trips will likely rise by 6.1 percent from the 2019 level to reach 18.3 million on May 1, which might set a single-day record, said the China State Railway Group Co Ltd.

May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, is observed on May 1 in China. As the holiday lasts from May 1 to 5 this year, many choose to spend the holiday traveling.