Three-day holiday bolsters China’s domestic tourism market

Dragon boats are seen during the Taizhou Jiangyan Qintong Boat Festival at the Qinhu National Wetland Park in Taizhou, in the eastern province of Jiangsu. Traditionally held around the Qingming Festival in April, the centuries-old tradition includes theatrical performances, as well as dragon and lion dances, with folk dances taking place directly on the boats. — AFP

Beijing: The just-concluded Qingming Festival holiday proved to be a boon for the tourism industry in the country with both the number of travellers and tourism revenue soaring as people made the most of the short break.

Figures from the Culture and Tourism Ministry last Saturday showed that domestic destinations witnessed about 119 million visits during the three-day holiday, which started last Thursday, the Tomb Sweeping Day, up 11.5% compared with 2019. There was only one day off for the occasion last year, and it resulted in 23.77 million domestic visits.