"Golden Week" witnesses increase of tourists
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-05-08 09:25
Statistics published by the National Tourism Administration (NTA) on Sunday
shows that during this May day holiday the number of tourists received by 116
Chinese scenic spots grew 12.9 percent year on year, with ticket income rising
21.6 percent.
The overall tourism revenue in 38 major Chinese cities
during the seven-day holiday exceeded 20 billion yuan (US$2.5 billion), the NTA
said.
The seven-day holiday week has become a virtual opportunity for
the development of China's tourism market despite disputes about the rationality
of the "Golden Week, " which has exerted great pressure on transportation,
catering and hotel and tourism infrastructures, according to relevant
experts.
China now has three "Golden Week" holidays in the year --
Spring Festival, International Labor Day, and National Day. The new holiday
scheme was set up by the Chinese government in 1999 to boost domestic demand,
stimulate consumption, and restructure the economy.
As the prolonged
holidays turned out to be "golden" for the economy, they became known as "Golden
Week".
With the unbalanced development of China's economy, those "
Golden Weeks" have offered great opportunities for economic restructuring and
employment expansion in popular tourist destinations.
During this May
day holiday, a total of 19 tourists got killed in 11 accidents across the
country, including a Dutch tourist.
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