BEIJING: China witnessed a sustained tourism boom during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holidays that ended on Monday, with robust growth in spending and travel, according to data from several online travel platforms on Monday.

According to Global Times, traditional cultural events during the Dragon Boat Festival attracted significant crowds nationwide, with numerous regions hosting a variety of activities to commemorate the holiday and stimulate local tourism sectors. Analysts observed that the increasing interest in such cultural events highlights the considerable potential within China’s tourism industry and consumer market, crucial for enhancing the dynamism of the world’s second-largest economy.

Meanwhile, inbound and outbound tourism also saw a remarkable boom during the holidays, despite being short. The robust growth in cross-border travel is supported by China’s proactive efforts to further open up its tourism market, including waiving visa requirements for visitors from many countries, analyst
s noted.

During the holidays, a total of 110 million trips were made, up 6.3 percent year-on-year, and total domestic travel spending grew by 8.1 percent year-on-year to 40.35 billion yuan ($5.57 billion), according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Monday.

On Monday, China’s railway system was expected to carry 15.9 million passenger trips, compared to about 12.5 million trips on Sunday, as many were returning from holidays to work. Due to the massive volume, China State Railway Group said it planned to add 1,071 passenger trains on Monday.

Source: Emirates News Agency