'Golden Week' Still Money Maker in China

Home>>Life

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, October 08, 2002

'Golden Week' Still Money Maker in China

Holiday tourism in China is still a big money maker. During "Golden Week," combined income from entrance tickets alone at 100 major tourists spots nationwide hit 379.43 million yuan (US$45.9 million), 20.9 percent higher than the same period last year.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Holiday tourism in China is still a big money maker, as was proved by this year's National Day holiday week from October 1-7.

During "Golden Week," combined income from entrance tickets alone at 100 major tourists spots nationwide hit 379.43 million yuan (US$45.9 million), 20.9 percent higher than the same period last year.

These 100 places of interests, such as the Great Wall in Beijing, Mount Tai in East China's Shandong Province, and Potala Palace in the Tibet Autonomous Region, hosted a total of 11.67 million tourists, an increase of 5.7 per cent over last year, according to a report issued yesterday by the National Holiday Affairs Office under the China National Tourism Administration.

People's enthusiasm for sightseeing seemed to be cooler, however, and tourism was not the top entertainment during the holidays.

A recent survey by Chinese website sina.com showed that only 14.8 per cent among some 71,000 respondents said they would go on a tour over the holiday, while about 56 per cent said they would rather have a rest at home. Another 30 per cent of respondents said they would go to work or had not made a decision yet.

Unmanageable crowds of people and poor services prevalent at some tourist spots and travel agencies were the main reasons for less interest in tourism, although tourism authorities had promised service with "safety, order and efficiency."

The National Holiday Affairs Office received about 140 customer complaint calls during the holiday week, most of which reflected problems with bad service.

The "Golden Week" holiday economy has generated 152.5 billion yuan (US$18.4 billion) in tourism revenue over the past three years. As part of the service sector, the holiday economy cannot mature while the country's service industry stays mired at such a low level, experts say.

Meanwhile, the experts warned that tourist-saturated holidays could prove disastrous for cultural and natural sites.

Golden week brings Beijing tourist boom

A record 3.13 million tourists visited Beijing during the National Day Holiday, according to statistics released Monday by the Beijing Leading Group for Holiday Tourism.

The number of tourists increased by 10.6 percent compared to the same period last year. Income from tourism totaled 2.81 billion yuan (340 million US dollars), up 15 percent on a year-on-year basis.

Of the tourists, 1.3 million were local residents and 1.83 million came from other parts of China. During what is now called the Golden Week, 1.26 million Beijing people also traveled to other places.

Traditional tourist spots such as Tian'anmen Square as well as the newly established Shijingshan Sculpture Park and City Wall Relics Park attracted large number of visitors during the vacation.

Statistics show the number of visitors to tourist spots in Beijing's suburbs have surged and an increased number of Beijingers chose to travel in their own cars.

The survey shows tourists now more often make their own travel choices and tourism agencies have started to regulate local tourist industry according to market rules.

Tourists' complaints decreased by 18.4 percent compared to the Labor Day Holiday, which falls between May 1 and 7. Ninety-five percent of visitors surveyed were satisfied with Beijing's environment and tourist services.

"Crazy" carnival lights up Shanghai, promotes tourism

Fireworks, singing, dancing into the wee hours of the morning -- it's carnival time in Shanghai. It may not quite be the revelry of Rio, but Chinese and foreigners together are letting their hair down to promote tourism and enjoy the holiday.

The annual month-long tourism festival took off Sept. 14 in Shanghai, one of China's most modern cities, bringing arts and entertainment from various foreign countries. The festival lasts through the seven-day National Day holiday.

One carnival event held the night of the 20th was organized, for the first time, by a foreign company. Jazz and rock & roll bands and dance troupes from Brazil, Russia, Australia, Singapore, Japan and the Republic of Korea as well as gypsy artists performed on Nanjing Road as the festivities went on until the wee hours of the morning.

Thousands of foreigners in Shanghai were invited to the carnival that night.

Most local Chinese initially shied away from singing and dancing in public but at 1:30 a.m. a dancing foreign couple broke the ice and people all over the street began to join in the revelry in the moonlight.

"I like having a carnival for our own city," a local resident said. "It is also a chance for the rest of the world to know our city better."

The tourism festival in Shanghai started 12 years ago. The first couple of years the sponsor invited singers and dancers to perform in the evening and in recent years carnivals were held.

"Traditional Chinese culture is against being 'crazy' about things but we really hope people can be crazy about and enjoy artsfrom all over the world in the carnival," said Dao Shuming, a local official.

Three fireworks shows were held on Sept. 30 and Oct. 3 and 6, operated by Spanish, Dutch and Canadian fireworks companies.

The sponsor said the fireworks shows, accompanied by exotic music, attracted the most stylish people in the city.

The city introduced the fireworks show with background music two years ago. So far fireworks shows from about ten countries such as Japan, France, Portugal, Australia and Italy have been staged here attracting around 2 million spectators.

Millions travel with east China railways

The Shanghai Railway Bureau, one of the biggest in China, handled some 6.33 million passengers fromSept. 28 to Oct. 7, a rise of 10 percent year-on-year.

Starting from Oct. 1, China's National Day, the week-long holiday coincided with Shanghai's International Tourism Festival, which added to the attractions of the metropolis.

Other regions such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in east China, both rich in famous attractions, received throngs of tourists from across the country.

An increased number of Shanghainese chose to travel during the holidays and contributed to the large number of passengers.

The Shanghai Railway Bureau put on 662 additional trains to meet the huge holiday demand.

The introduction of special inter-city runs for shoppers and for traveler also helped ease transportation tension, sources with the bureau said.

Questions?Comments? Click here

China Tipped as World's Top Tourist Destination by 2020

China's National Day Holiday Spurs Tourism Boom

Developer Plans to Raise Titanic in Shanghai ( 2 Messages)

Fewer Slogans, More Practical, Reflect Social Changes in China ( 3 Messages)

China Opposes US Congress Committee's Interference in China's Internal Affairs ( 2 Messages)

Multinationals Fight for Chinese Markets ( 2 Messages)