Tourist numbers reached 78.32 million person-times this
Spring Festival "Golden Week," an increase of 13.5 percent from
2004; and income from tourism was 36.8 billion yuan (about US$4.6
billion), 17.6 percent higher than last year, according to the
China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) yesterday.
According to the administration, income earned includes 2.32
billion yuan (US$288 million) from air travel, and 1.74 billion
yuan (US$216 million) from rail travel.
Thirty-nine major cities of tourism, including Beijing, Shanghai
and Guangzhou, made a total of 17.4 billion yuan (US$2.16 billion),
and other cities and scenic spots made 15.3 billion yuan (US$1.90
billion).
A total 166 commercial enterprises operating in the 39 cities
made 3.759 billion yuan (US$467 million), a 11.6 percent increase
from last year, while 162 catering enterprises made 314 million
yuan (US$39.0 million), an increase of 3.3 percent.
The administration highlighted three key trends:
First, both income from tourism and tourist numbers have
increased steadily. In 2004, tourist numbers were 69 million
person-times and the gross income from tourism was 31.3 billion
yuan (US$3.9 billion).
Second, despite the increase in tourist numbers, public order
has been maintained. Reports of accidents were the lowest on
record. According to administration statistics, only two incidents
were reported over the seven-day holiday. One was a traffic
accident in
Yunnan Province that killed three people, and the other
involved a Chinese tourist who drowned in the Maldives.
Third, the Chinese tourism market continues to mature with
regional attractions such as Ice World in northeast China's
Jilin and
Heilongjiang provinces, and Golden Beaches in south China's
Hainan Province and
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region growing in popularity.
Further, more and more urban residents are spending their
holidays in the country. Road trips are also increasingly
popular.
The "Golden Week" refers to national holidays including May Day,
National Day and Spring Festival and can date back to 1999.
(China.org.cn by Zhou Jing and Wang Ke, February 6, 2006)
