Yantai welcomes 3.1m tourists during Duanwu Festival holiday

Yantai, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province, received 3.1 million tourists during the Duanwu Festival holiday from June 16-18, a year-on-year growth of 15.2 percent, local media reported.

This influx brought in 3.07 billion yuan ($479 million) of tourism revenue to the local economy, up 18.67 percent year-on-year, over the three day holiday, known as Duanwu in Chinese.

Duanwu Festival or Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese traditional festival, falls on the fifth day of May in lunar calendar to honor great Chinese poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC).

Some 40 events including fruit-picking and folk performances were held during the festival in well-known scenic spots such as the Nanshan Scenic Area in Longkou, Chateau Junding in Penglai, and Changyu Castel Chateau.

Many parks and beaches proved a hit with tourists. Yantai Mountain Park, Tashan Park, Nanshan Park, Moon Bay and Golden Beach all welcomed a large number of visitors.

Rural tourism also proved to be popular during the holiday, with one and two-day tours featuring fruit picking, hot springs and mountain climbing taking place in the area.

A "Thousands of visitors tour countryside" activity organized by the Yantai tourism bureau provided guests a chance to get close to nature and seek a welcome respite from the fast pace of city life. Ten tourism routes and 32 themed activities including visiting special towns, sightseeing and picking gardens offered visitors a variety of different experiences.

To ensure the safety of tourists amidst large numbers, the Yantai tourism authorities issued a circular ahead of the holiday.

The circular required tourist sites to take strict safety measures and make contingency plans in case of emergencies.Thanks to the efforts of relevant departments, there were no reports of serious accidents or complaints concerning tourist services during the holiday.