Wuxi ranks 2nd nationally among most popular tourist destinations

Wuxi, Jiangsu province ranked second among the country's most popular tourist destinations, only after Shanghai, according to a report on tourism during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday from Oct 1 to 8.

Tourists made a total of 7.96 million trips in the city during the holiday, generating 9.8 billion yuan ($1.46 billion) in tourism revenue, about 90.04 percent of the revenue in the same period last year, according to the city's culture, radio, television, sports and tourism bureau.

To boost local tourism, the city organized 220 garden parties, 85 art performances, 774 cultural activities, and 27 cultural exhibitions during the holiday.

Local cultural facilities also witnessed an increase in visitors numbers, receiving more than 2 million people this year thanks to a series of activities such as clay figurine-coloring at the Wuxi Museum, children's dance dramas and concerts at the Wuxi Grand Theater, andpingtan(an ancient folk art involving singing and a three-stringed lute known aspipa) performances at a local theater.

Due to the lingering influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, tourists preferred to drive themselves and participate in self-guided tours. Family trips, rural tourism, and folk art-themed tourism were quite popular. Scenic spots such as Huishan Ancient Town, Plum Garden and Turtle Head Isle attracted many people by holding a chrysanthemum festival, lily festival, and fishery festival.

Night activities including light shows, boat tours, and intangible cultural heritage-themed performances were also popular among visitors. According to statistics, the number of nighttime products booked during the holiday saw a year-on-year increase of 27 percent. The city's top 10 nighttime destinations including Qingming Bridge Scenic Area, Nianhua Bay, Wanda Cultural Tourism City, and Feima Water Town were crowded with visitors during the holiday.

All travel boats operated by Jiangnan Ancient Canal Co ran from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm all day due to the surge in visitors, according to staff at the company. An ancient canal night tour route launched by the company was well-received by tourists.