Golden Week tourism boom boosts economy
BEIJING - With millions of Chinese visiting tourist sites and shops at home and abroad during the October “Golden Week”, their consumption power shows that tourism is one sector that China, as well as the world, could look to for more economic benefits.
In the first two days of the National Day holiday which runs from Oct. 1 to 8, China has reported double-digit growth in tourism revenue. Some 114 million tourists spent 94 billion yuan (about 14 billion U.S. dollars) on Monday alone, up 9.9 percent and 10.9 percent respectively from the same day last year, according to data from the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). The previous day tourism income of 96.5 billion yuan was posted by 113 million domestic tourists, up 12.2 percent and 10.5 percent year on year, respectively. Most Chinese have chosen to indulge in food, cultural and rural tourism this year. Theme parks, museums and traditional culture streets have also seen an obvious growth in the number of visitors, according to the CNTA. One of China’s two “Golden Weeks”, the National Day holiday sees a surge in passenger flows, tourist revenue and retail sales. This year it has been extended by one day as the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Oct.4. Travel demand appears to be stronger this year, possi- bly because the Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunion. China Railway Corporation said that more than 15 million passenger trips were made on Sunday, the first day of the eight-day holiday, a new record high compared to 14.4 million trips made on the same day last year. Around 710 million trips are expected be made from Oct. 1 to 8, with national tourism revenue set to reach 590 billion yuan, up 10 percent and 12.2 percent respectively on the same period last year, according to predictions by the CNTA. Popular domestic destinations include Beijing, Sanya, Kunming and Lanzhou, according to a survey by Ctrip, China’s leading online travel agency. At a time when traditional growth drivers are losing steam, China has pinned hopes on services, including tourism, for new impetus to drive consumption and employment, support economic growth and restructuring. China’s domestic tourism industry earned about 3.9 trillion yuan in 2016, and the country plans to raise tourism revenue to 7 trillion yuan by 2020. (Xinhuanet.com)