<span style="color: #222222;">China has extended its Labor Day holiday to five days hoping to boost the country's pandemic-battered tourism industry. Many Chinese who were either unable to travel or had postponed their trips during the Lunar New Year holidays because of sporadic coronavirus outbreaks are looking at the May 1-5 holiday as an opportunity for a much-needed break.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">According to industry estimates as reported in local media, about 200 million trips are expected to happen this year during Labor Day holidays. Such travel projections would surpass even 2019's pre-pandemic holiday season. As reported by local media, the number of air ticket bookings for the Labor Day holiday has increased by 23 per cent from the same period in 2019. Train ticket bookings have also spiked. Experts say, it is a reasonable response to the depressed demand for travel caused by the pandemic.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Meanwhile, as per local media, many Chinese social media users have expressed their dislike for China's public holiday system, which bites off free Saturdays and Sundays around other festivals. Social media site Weibo is currently full of complaints from workers bemoaning their lost weekends.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">According to an online poll by domestic news outlet, 80 per cent of some 819,000 respondents said they would rather have shorter holidays. The system has been unpopular for years. According to a 2013 government survey, four-fifths of respondents said, they were unsatisfied with it.</span><br />''  <br />