Nantong sees Duanwu Festival holiday tourist bonanza

Almost bathing in flowers, enchanted tourists take photos at flower town in Tongzhou district, Nantong, in eastern Jiangsu province, on June 8. [Photo/IC]

Ten major scenic spots in Nantong, in eastern Jiangsu province, hosted a total of 424,100 tourists through the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, also known as Duanwu Festival holiday, according to the city’s tourism bureau.

The total ticket income reached 5.08 million yuan ($744,068), representing year-on-year growth of 17.8 percent.

The flower town in Tongzhou district received 48,000 visitors, earning nearly 3 million yuan, while Jintudi ecological park received about 10,000 visitors, taking in more than 400,000 yuan.

Popular homestay hotels, such as Xunhai Shiguang and Daizhu Fanqie garden, reported that the occupancy rate topped 90 percent during the festivities.

Operators hung wormwood or Acorus calamus in the rooms and yards of the hotels to observe  tradition and offered fruit picking and vegetables activities to give tourists a great opportunity to relax and enjoy nature.

A variety of traditional celebration activities were also held at scenic spots to add to the festive mood and attract visitors -- including dragon boat races, cultural performances and food festivals.