China Collects 28.8 Billion Yuan from May Day Tour

China achieved 28.8 billion yuan tourism income in the week-long Labor Day vacation.

According to the report issued Tuesday night by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), China received 73.77 million tourists in the period, with the average expenditure reaching 390 yuan per capita.

"The 25 major tourism cities including Dalian, Nanjing and Suzhou received 26.4 million people," according to Sun Gang, vice director of CNTA.

The ticket income totaled 350 million yuan, with nine scenic spots surpassing 10 million yuan respectively.

The tourism market was in good order and the satisfaction rate was higher than 90 percent, Sun said.

Beijing Tourism Raked in 3.2 Billion Yuan

Millions of tourists emptied their pocketbooks during the 7-day May Day holiday in the Chinese capital, which reported tourism revenue of 3.2 billion yuan (386 million US dollars) during the period, official sources said.

The city received 1.91 million visitors from other provinces and cities, down 23.6 percent from the same period last year, while 1.87 million Beijing residents traveled out of town, up 24.7 percent.

And 1.69 million Beijing people chose to tour around the city, up 69 percent, according to the Beijing holiday tourism office.

Tourists from outside Beijing spent 3 billion yuan (361 million U.S. dollars) in the city and the remaining 200 million yuan came from locals (24 million U.S. dollars), the office said.

Although they reported drops in numbers of outside tourists, 44 scenic sites in the city still listed a 6 percent increase in revenues, partially due to a hike in tickets, and also because of improved catering and recreational services which encouraged people to spend more.

Statistics show that each outside tourist spent an average of 1, 587 yuan (190 U.S. dollars) during their stay in Beijing.

Holiday Economy Matures

Chinese people returned to work Tuesday, marking an end to the week-long Labor Day holiday.

"The tourism market is in very good order and tourism revenue is on the rise, representing the maturity of the holiday economy in China," said Sun Gang, vice director of China National Tourism Administration.

The term "holiday economy" was first raised in 1999, when annual public holidays were increased to 114 days, with three lengthened major holidays.

People used to flock to tourist destinations, giving rise to the boom in domestic consumption. Or they simply stayed at home, ignoring all the tourism promotions and the expectations of many business people.

This time, Chinese people tended to eye the mass tourism bandwagon with more reasonable ideas, pursuing relaxing leisure holidays.

Some 80 percent of government employees in south China's Fuzhou city think that there is more to the week-long vacation than just traveling around.

According to the sample test, many hoped to arrange their own time following their personal needs and interests.

Chen Wei, a Tianjin citizen, preferred cycling to a nearby village with his wife. He said, "We really like this way of relaxing without worrying about the hustle and bustle tourist groups."

Still some others chose to take part in various kinds of indoor activities. Deng Lin, a government employee, said that his satisfaction came from the quiet time spent in the Beijing Library and two concerts he attended.

Many people, like Deng, found new ways to spend their holidays, such as working out in gyms, attending computer and MBA courses or taking driver's license tests.

Business people, facing an up-and-down tourism market, have realized that the winning opportunities lie in more rational and well-designed plans.

"Making a fortune in the tourism market does not only depend on short-term holidays. We put more emphasis on non-vacation time through a series of cultural forums and entertainment items. We look forward to seeing sustainable development," said Fu Banghua, an official at the Confucius Temple area in east China's Nanjing city.

Experts think that as Chinese people become more mature in consumption behaviors, so will the holiday tourism market.






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