Tourism industry hits record highs over Spring Festival holiday

China's tourism market showed a better-than-expected performance over the just-ended eight-day Spring Festival holiday, which started on Feb 10.

Some overseas destinations also offered goodwill gestures and created a festive atmosphere for Chinese travelers, and Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, has officially been listed as a United Nations floating holiday starting this year, which means UN bodies are encouraged to avoid holding meetings on that day.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed that traveler numbers as well as tourism-related revenue during the holiday reached record highs, thanks to people's ever-stronger desire to travel, ample market supplies and good tourism policies.

The ministry said on Sunday that the domestic tourism market saw 474 million trips during the holiday, up 34.3 percent year-on-year. The number marked a 19 percent increase compared with the same holiday period in 2019.

Domestic tourism-related revenue reached 632.69 billion yuan ($87.95 billion) during the holiday, a striking increase of 47.3 percent year-on-year and 7.7 percent growth from the same holiday period in 2019.

"I haven't seen so many people jammed in alleys! The food stores and stands along the alley were crowded with people, and I felt like I was floating with the crowds rather than walking by myself," said Lin Jieyi, a 29-year-old who visited Changsha, Hunan province, with her husband during the holiday.

"I love the city, which is filled with a festive atmosphere. The food here is very delicious, and I almost stuffed myself with rice noodles, pork cooked with peppers, and milk tea every day," she added.

Xiao Peng, a researcher with travel portal Qunar, said that the longer holiday this year — it usually lasts seven days in other years — made tourism-focused trips a more popular choice among the Chinese.

Southern destinations with warmer climate or tropical views, such as Kunming, Yunnan province, and Sanya, Hainan province, remained top choices for tourists, according to travel agencies. Return-flight tickets in economy class departing Sanya were sold out early, leaving only tickets in business or first class.

Tuniu, another travel portal, said that destinations and museums with a rich cultural atmosphere or those highlighting cultural elements of the dragon were favored by travelers marking the beginning of the Year of the Dragon.

In addition, some northern destinations with snow and ice views also proved popular during the holiday. Among them, Harbin Ice-Snow World in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang received 329,000 visits from Feb 10 to Wednesday — the first five days of the holiday — with the traveler number marking a surge of 115 percent from the previous year, according to Harbin's culture and tourism bureau.

In addition to the prosperous domestic tourism, the inbound and outbound tourism market also delivered a surprisingly good performance during the holiday. The Culture and Tourism Ministry said that around 3.6 million overseas trips were made during the holiday, while the Chinese mainland received about 3.23 million visits from overseas travelers.

A total of 13.52 million inbound and outbound trips were made during the holiday, marking a nearly threefold increase from the holiday period last year, according to the National Immigration Administration.

Travel portal Trip.com Group said that among the top 10 overseas destinations, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia were the biggest winners, with total bookings to the three destinations marking growth of over 30 percent at the group's platform, thanks to their visa-free policies for Chinese travelers.

Some festive celebrations and folk shows such as lion dancing, traditional Han costume shows and Chinese cuisine shows were organized at overseas destinations like Bangkok and Paris during the holiday, allowing Chinese travelers and local residents to become immersed in cultural ambience.

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said that the industry's performance over the holiday exceeded expectations, thanks to people's strong desire to travel and improved visa policies.

Folk activities highlighting traditional Chinese culture are increasingly attractive to travelers, Dai said. He added that positive reports in foreign media about the Spring Festival holiday will help China build an increasingly positive global image and boost international tourism cooperation.