Chinese Tourists More Choosy in Planning TravelWith the onset of the week-long May Day holiday, tourists are being more cautious about travelling after experiencing difficulties during the same period last year, according to China Daily."After last year, China's first week-long May Day holiday, consumers are more mature, " said Yin Xingfu, president of China Youth Travel Service (CYTS), one of China's leading travel agencies. Last May, 40 million people travelled and revenue from tourism reached 18.1 billion yuan (US$2.18 billion), according to the State Tourism Administration. The holiday, which used to last for three to four days, was extended to seven days because the Chinese Government wanted to prolong public holidays to promote individual purchasing. However, the problems of poor services, a lack of tourism facilities and inaccessible market information reared their ugly heads last year on top of the difficulties caused by the huge numbers on the move. Although the tourism market is not as prosperous as last year, because of the problems experienced, CYTS has attracted many consumers with its more than 100 offers specially for the holiday, according to Yin. The amount of people choosing CYTS to travel abroad doubled this year compared with the same period last year. The number of tourists travelling within the country increased by 50 per cent, he said. Faced with tourists who want to do something different, CYTS has designed various packages. Special discounts have been offered to promote hot attractions both at home and abroad, including Kunming and Thailand. During the Labour Day holiday last year, some tourists could not get return tickets after their holiday. |
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