With an average of 17 to 18 million train journeys per day, these holidays have been characterized by high demand for tickets since September 27th.
«People want to travel and experience the whole world. China is a very big country with a very, very great diversity. People want to celebrate and embrace that. “If you look at the website for airline tickets and train ticket sales, you will see that everything is gone and sold out,” said economist Qu Qiang of Renmin University.
Traditional Chinese tourist areas such as the pristine beaches of Wuzhizhou Island in the southern province of Hainan welcomed millions of visitors.
The province recorded about $140 million in duty-free sales during the first six days of the holiday, up 94.2 percent year-on-year, according to data released by Haikou Customs.
A total of 130,000 consumers joined the shopping spree in Hainan, 120 percent more than last year.
For its part, East China’s Jiangsu Province has launched numerous activities to boost the consumption of new energy vehicles and household appliances.
Electric and smart cars made their debut at an exhibition in the city of Nanjing, with purchase discounts and subsidies to attract more consumers.
In southwest China’s Yunnan Province, the Kunming Dounan Flower Exhibition, Asia’s largest trading market for fresh-cut flowers, was full of tourists having fun and shopping, CCTV reported.
On the other hand, rural tourism also recorded higher demand during the eight days of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holiday (October 1).
On the outskirts of Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan, many parents and children experienced natural life on small organic farms.
“We encourage city children to get in touch with nature and experience farming so that they understand that vegetables grow in the soil and not in the refrigerator,” said Bi Benfu, a farmer at Lucky Food Farm.
During this holiday, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has launched 149 national high-quality rural tourism routes, offering visitors a closer look at village life.
During the so-called “Golden Week,” millions also traveled to reunite with their families.
China Railway forecast around 190 million passenger trips between September 27 and October 8, more than double the number in 2022.
In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority noted that an additional 21 million people will use the aircraft.
jha/idm