Chinese localities roll out measures to further boost tourism

As China has seen a tourism boom since this year’s Spring Festival holiday, multiple Chinese localities have rolled out measures to further promote tourism.

Tourists watch a performance at an ancient town in Langzhong, southwest China's Sichuan Province, March 20, 2023. In recent years, Langzhong has launched several live performances featuring local cultural elements to enhance tourists' night tour experience and boost the local cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Liu Kun)

Train trips made in the first 10 days of March in the Yangtze River Delta region increased nearly 6.6 percent from the same period in 2019, according to data from the China Railway Shanghai Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

Domestic flights handled across China from the beginning of this year to March 12 reached 95 percent of the level in the same period in 2019, according to statistics from flight data service provider VariFlight.

On Ctrip, China’s online travel agency, car rental bookings surged by 228 percent from Feb. 15 to March 10 compared to the same period in 2019. All these data reflect people’s growing desire to travel.

An increasing number of people are going on outings to enjoy spring. Grasping the demand, local tourism authorities and enterprises across China have released relevant tourism routes and products.

The culture and tourism department of central China’s Hubei Province recently launched tourism products focusing on spring under nine themes to attract visitors.

At the opening ceremony of the culture and tourism consumption promotion season, east China’s Jiangsu Province rolled out 348 cultural and tourism activities and multiple preferential measures to benefit the people, aiming to offer tourists high-quality tourism products and more affordable choices.

Several localities have launched tourist-dedicated trains. On March 19, 320 tourists from Hong Kong arrived in Wuhan, capital of Hubei, by high-speed train for a four-day tour.

The tourist train Y214 carrying over 700 tourists left northwest China’s Gansu Province on March 18. During the 13-day journey, tourists can visit Shenzhen and Zhuhai cities in south China’s Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macao.

Tourists watch a performance at an ancient town in Langzhong, southwest China's Sichuan Province, March 20, 2023. In recent years, Langzhong has launched several live performances featuring local cultural elements to enhance tourists' night tour experience and boost the local cultural tourism. (Xinhua/Liu Kun)

Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province recently launched this year’s first tourist train, which carried 580 tourists to destinations like southwest China’s Yunnan and Guizhou provinces.

As barbecues in Zibo city, east China’s Shandong Province, have gone viral on Chinese social media lately, which have attracted crowds of visitors to enjoy the food, the city announced the opening of 21 bus routes linking local barbecue restaurants and the launch of the Zibo barbecue festival. Scenic spots in Zibo decided to exempt or lower entrance fees to attract visitors.

Chinese localities have created new scenarios of tourism consumption. For instance, Beijing launched boat tours on the Liangma River on March 18. Visitors can take a sightseeing boat tour to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the river.

Recently, four provinces—Shanxi, Qinghai, Yunnan and Shandong—jointly conducted a survey on trans-provincial tourism consumption to promote the upgrading of tourism consumption. According to the survey, tourists have shown a strong enthusiasm for traveling, the demand for self-driving tours and trans-provincial tours has skyrocketed, and high-quality travel has become a new trend. The survey suggested that tour service providers need to stimulate the vitality of tourism consumption, improve services and provide tourism experiences for tourists.