China's tourism recovery is booming thanks to COVID control measures

HU YUANJIA The Spring Festival holiday has blown a trumpet for the nation's tourism recovery, which is witnessing a rebound thanks to optimized COVID 19 control measures.

Southwest China's Sichuan province said the number of visitors to its 15 attractions had hit a new record high for attendance since 2020, as of Tuesday, the fourth day of the seven-day holiday. As of Wednesday, the 15 attractions saw an increase of 48 percent in the number of travelers, while ticket revenue was 64 percent higher than during the same period last year.

The number of visits reached its capacity at some of the province's attractions, including Mount Emei, famous for its breathtaking views, and the Sanxingdui Museum, whose exhibits show the nation's ancient civilization.

A report from the province of Hubei in Central China was also encouraging. According to the province's bureau of culture and tourism, Hubei had received 17.62 million visits as of 3 pm on Tuesday, a year-on-year increase of 26 percent. During the four days, tourism-related revenue was worth about 9.92 billion yuan $1.46 billion - 33.83 percent more than in the same period last year.

The tourism market was experiencing a boom during the Spring Festival holiday, according to figures from travel agencies. Trip.com Group said hotels, homestays and ticket bookings for tourist attractions were better than those in 2019 -- the year before COVID 19 hit, in the first four days of the holiday. It also said homestay bookings doubled in the first four days compared with the same period last year, and sales of tickets for attractions increased 50 percent year-on-year.

At the holiday's halfway point, travelers began planning their return trips. Most of its users set return trips for between Thursday and Jan 31, and the market will see a return-travel peak on Friday, the last day of the holiday, according to Qunar.

READ MORE: China seizes Spring Festival to heat up tourism, consumption, and tourism.

Guo Lechun, deputy director of Qunar's big data academy, said that returning travelers will surge compared to the early period of the Spring Festival travel rush, which started on Jan 7 and will end on February 15.

Visitors at a museum in Guanghan, Sichuan province, take photos of a gold mask discovered among the Sanxingdui Ruins on January 24, 2023. LI DONG We estimate that the passenger volume of the Spring Festival travel rush will recover to 80 percent of that in 2019, which is a good start for the tourism industry this year, he said.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a notice on Monday reminding travelers to protect their safety and health during holiday trips. The ministry said that people should not go to dangerous areas such as riverbanks and the edges of cliffs, as well as off-limits places where safety and security cannot be guaranteed.

Travelers were encouraged to consider their own health condition when participating in high-risk recreational activities, and to prepare masks and other anti-COVID supplies.