Tourists to hit record high during Spring Festival holiday

BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The number of tourists traveling during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday is expected to hit a record high of 211 million, tourism authorities said on Thursday.

The number of holiday tourists is expected to rise by 20 percent compared with the previous year, surpassing 200 million for the first time, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said.

Increased consumer confidence, the removal of tolls on some highways and lower ticket prices have made more people willing to travel this year, the CNTA said.

Tourism revenues are expected to reach 126.7 billion yuan (20.2 billion U.S. dollars) during the holiday, up 25 percent year on year, according to figures released by the CNTA.

However, senior CNTA official Wu Wenxue said problems like traffic jams and a general decline in service quality are likely to occur during the weeklong holiday.

The CNTA has urged local tourism authorities to make preparations for greater numbers of visitors, Wu said.

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