Week truly golden as visitors enjoy Zhuhai attractions

More than 1.3 billion yuan ($206.6 million) was spent in Zhuhai by 2.37 million visitors during the eight-day National Day holiday, up 2.1 percent in revenue and 5.6 percent in tourists year-on-year, according to the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau.

The Golden Week holiday break traditionally runs from Oct 1 to 7, but was prolonged to eight days this year due to National Day overlapping Mid-Autumn Festival.

Official statistics released on Oct 8 show a gratifying overall performance in Zhuhai's tourism market.

The longer holiday enabled more out-of-town tourists to take trips to the Zhuhai seaside. Some 50.38 percent took part in day tours while approximately 564,700 visitors stayed overnight, an increase of 1.3 percent compared with the same period of last year.

Hong Kong and Macao remained the main sources of cross-border visitors, and cities in the Pearl River Delta and along high-speed rail routes were where most tourists set off from. For example, on Oct 3, even more visitors arrived, most from Guangdong's Zhongshan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Jiangmen, and Foshan cities, and the provinces of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi, according to statistical analysis using big data collected by China Mobile Zhuhai Branch.

Golden Beach in Jinwan District 

Six monitored major scenic spots attracted 742,800 visitors during the tourism peak, up 3.6 percent year-on-year, which contributed a 3.9 percent growth in tourist revenue of 106.86 million yuan ($16.1 million) in the areas. Six key travel agencies in the city registered 123,426 arrivals.

Haibin Park, City Parlor (Haibin Beach), New Yuanming Palace (including Lost City Water Park), Xianglu Bay, and Zhuhai Hengqin Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort were the five most popular attraction sites.

According to a government official, the strong tourism market growth was driven by the brand effect of large-scale cultural activities cultivated in a well-developed system covering various travel aspects. 

8th Beishan International Jazz Festival 

Highlights included the annual Zhuhai International Beach Music Festival, which took place this year at Haibin Beach for the 15th time, drawing in almost 40,000 visitors on Oct 1 and 2.

Also a big draw, the 8th Beishan International Jazz Festival held at Beishanli Square of Nanping Town from Oct 4 to 5 presented a precision blend of high-end acousto-optic arts of elegant music. Nearly 30 jazz musicians in six bands were gathered from 10 countries and regions including France, Serbia, Macedonia, Denmark, Switzerland, and Poland, performing various types of jazz centering on the theme of love. The seven-year-old festival was voted as a Zhuhai cultural card in a recent selection campaign.

An art festival hosted by Huitong village in Tangjiawan from Sept 28 to Oct 2 was a success, promoting invaluable intangible cultural heritages. The event, together with a series of carnival activities in Jinwan District to the south, exposed different local charms and characters, breathing new life into Zhuhai's tourism development, an official noted.

Other engines of tourism growth included coastal leisure travel and gourmet food experiences, taking the special vacation service provided by the renowned Dreamland Resort on Wanshan Island and the Doumen Gourmet Cultural Festival from Oct 1 to 5 as examples. 

Shixi Park in Xiangzhou District [Photos by Zhang Zhou, Zhu Xi and Zeng Yao / Zhuhai Daily]

A parent-child entertainment product launched by Gree Dong'ao Hotel combined marine elements and proved to be a big hit. The update not only enriched the variety of island tours, but also demonstrated Zhuhai's tourism sector's superior recovery capability back to high-quality service levels after severe typhoons that struck in the past two months.

Historical and cultural resources discovered along Southern Guangdong Old Post roads were another major highlight. Eight scenic areas, which include Meixi Royal Stone Archways, Former Residence of Chen Fang (Chun Afong), and Huitong Village, attracted 74,800 visitors and pumped 290,100 yuan ($43,758) into the local economy.

At the same time, Ocean Spring and Hengqin Chimelong International Ocean Tourist resorts offered new choices for family tours, including DIY contests, rainforest sightseeing, and sleepover experiences at the bottom of the sea.