Xiamen attracts over 2 million tourists during eight-day holiday

More than 2 million tourists visited the coastal city of Xiamen, Fujian province during the eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, a 23.57 percent increase year-on-year, Xiamen Daily reported on Oct 9.

The city's tourism revenue for the holiday, which this year fell on Oct 1-8, totaled over 2.5 billion yuan ($380 million), up 28.65 percent compared to last year's holiday.

According to local tourist industry insiders, a number of external factors have helped boost the popularity of Xiamen as a tourist destination this year.

In September, the city gained nationwide publicity when it hosted the BRICS Summit, attended by world leaders including Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi.

The music fountain and light show in front of the Xiamen International Conference and Expo Center, the main venue for the BRICS Summit, attracted over 370,000 visitors during the holiday.

The naming of Gulangyu Island, a former international settlement that houses many European-style buildings built during the 19th and 20th centuries, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site earlier this year also made headlines across China, helping to attract more tourists.

Gulangyu Island has long been one of the most popular tourist destinations in Xiamen, attracting more than 10 million visitors each year.

Historic buildings such as the former residence of Lin Yutang, the famous Chinese writer, Hope Hospital, Xiamen’s first Western-style hospital that was founded by an American missionary, and the Nurses School established by the Hope Hospital appeal to tourists' curiosity about the history of Xiamen and Fujian province.

Other tourist areas in Xiamen hosted special activities during the holiday to lure more visitors.

Jimei district held a balloon festival, while Xiang’an district created an enormous flower exhibition.

Tong'an district organized a series of cultural events, including exhibitions of farmers' paintings, tin carving artworks and traditional bridal sedan chairs, as well as drum performances and mass martial arts displays.