China tourism revenue tops 400 bln yuan in week-long holiday

World
Europe

China’s tourism industry yielded 423.3 billion yuan (61.7 billion US dollars) in revenue during the Spring Festival holiday, marking a year-on-year increase of 15.9 percent, according to the China National Tourism Administration.

During the seven-day holiday, which came to an end on Thursday, some 344 million trips were made, up 13.8 percent from the same period last year. And 6.15 million people traveled overseas, up 7 percent year-on-year.

Tourists in a train station in Fuyang city, Anhui Province on February 2, 2017. /CFP Photo‍

To cater for the desire of overseas Chinese to celebrate the festival, many countries promoted tourism products themed “Chinese New Year.” Australia’s Sydney hosted a New Year celebration lasting from January 27 to February 12, with 80 activities featuring traditional Chinese characteristics. London held a dragon and lion dance, while a costume parade in Belgium’s Brussels attracted crowds of visitors.

The 12th China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market was held in April, 2016 at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center in Beijing, China. /CFP Photo

Winter sports gained increasing popularity this year as the 2022 Winter Olympics will take place in Beijing and towns in neighboring Hebei Province. In Hebei’s Zhangjiakou, tourists were immersed in the snow world as ice carnivals, ice-lanterns and parent-child interaction games were held.

Shops and restaurants across China reported robust sales during the holiday week. According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, sales in the catering and retail sectors reached 840 billion yuan (122.4 billion US dollars), up 11.4 percent year-on-year.

Sales of traditional festival-related goods, jewelry, household appliances and digital products saw rapid growth. Major jewelry stores in Gansu, Hebei and Anhui provinces reported double-digit sales growth, with rooster-themed accessories favored by consumers as the holiday marked the beginning of the Year of the Rooster.

(With inputs from Xinhua)