Tourists enjoy the night view of the ancient Bell Tower in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 2, 2023. China has witnessed a travel boom during this year's five-day May Day holiday. Photo:Xinhua

According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, during the May Day holidays, domestic tourism reached 274 million trips, a year-on-year increase of 70.83 percent, generating domestic tourism revenue of 1,480.56 billion yuan ($215 billion). Along with the increase in travel, photographers' income also increased.

"Follow-up photography" and "travel photography" have become popular niche professions, with many photographers making ten times their usual earnings during this year's May Day travel peak. Many photography enthusiasts even offered limited follow-up photography for tourists during the peak season, which has already surpassed their primary source of income. Some photographers said that in the past holidays, very few people would patronize their photoshoot posts on social media platforms, and sometimes they had to rely on luck at the scenic spots to get two or three orders. However, on May Day holidays, photographers were reported earnings of up to tens of thousands of yuan.

Many netizens are attracted to this emerging profession, but some professionals also pointed out that follow-up photography is very challenging, as it requires the photographer overcoming the noise and crowded environment on site, as well as take care of the client's makeup and styling.