DOMESTIC bankcard expenditure during the three-day May Day holiday surged 39 percent from a year earlier, and overseas spending rose 33 percent as more Chinese traveled abroad.

Spending by bankcard holders at ticket offices of major domestic scenic spots soared 49 percent from a year earlier, as the holiday was a traditional peak season for tourism, China UnionPay, the country's sole bankcard transaction firm, said in a report yesterday. Online payment for train tickets during the holiday also grew 49 percent.

Bankcard transactions through UnionPay's channel rose above 60 percent in Italy, Germany and France.