BEIJING: China’s tourism industry saw a steady recovery during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival, with travel rebounding to about 50 percent of last year’s level. The recovery came despite a spike in coronavirus cases in Beijing, which bodes well for China’s consumption market.
There has also been a shift in the behavior of Chinese tourists, who now opt to make reservations before making trips amid epidemic prevention efforts. Also, short-distance and high-end trips gained in popularity among Chinese tourists during the three-day holidays.
China received 48.81 million visitors during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holidays, which is 50.9 percent of last year’s amount, according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Total income of 12.29 billion yuan ($1.74 billion) was generated, representing 31.2 percent of last year’s level.
During the Dragon Boat Festival holidays, China transported 78.79 million passengers via railways, roads, waterways and civil aviation, according to data released by the Ministry of Transport on Saturday. Total highway traffic reached 92.69 million vehicles.
A spokesperson for ctrip.com told the Global Times on Saturday that the tourism sector’s rebound during the short holidays has bolstered market confidence and showed that the industry, despite being extremely sensitive, is also highly resilient to external shocks.
“The revenue in the first two days of the holiday surpassed that of the three-day Qingming Festival. This is particularly impressive, given the coronavirus outbreak in Beijing and rainy weather,” the spokesperson said.
