Remarkable Spring Festival tourism boom

The Spring Festival holiday of 2018 witnessed a pouring in of over 1.42 million visitors into Shanghai's top 22 tourism spots, an increase of 1.67% when compared to the same holiday period last year. As a result, tourism revenue reached a staggering 1.23 billion yuan ($195 million), according to a news published on Pudong's wensite on Feb 23.

The boom in tourism took place in several spots, such as the public spaces that have been recently renovated on the east bank of Lujiazui, the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium and the Shanghai World Financial Center.

In addition, the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum had various cultural relics on exhibit, the most recent being the Lascaux cave painting, and it also carried out educational activities to promote public interest in scientific knowledge.

As one of Shanghai's most popular tourism destinations, Shanghai Disney Resort attracted 246 thousand tourists during the seven-day-long public holiday.

Some ancient districts, such as Xinchang ancient town, the academy of classic learning, and other rural regions have also become tourism hot spots, where people can learn about the history of the area and the traditions that have been passed down through the generations.

Many of the aforementioned tourism destinations made sure to add special touches to their displays that included elements of Chinese tradition, in honor of Chinese New Year. For example, at the Disney Resort, Mickey Mouse was seen to be carrying a lantern while strolling through the streets. Spring Festival couplets were also put up in doorways, adding to the already festive atmosphere.   

Shanghai Ocean Aquarium. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]