China would continue the Golden Week holidays, the National Tourism Administration said in a response to an earlier proposal by a CPPCC member calling for the cancellation of the weeklong holidays.

Li Xiaosong, a member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC, submitted a proposal earlier this year amid increasing calls for the reform of the Golden Week holidays.

According to the proposal, the holidays were losing their charm for more and more Chinese people while reaping huge sums of money for the country’s tourism industry, the best “harvest” since China introduced Golden Week holidays in 2000.

The Golden Weeks put unprecedented pressure on the country’s transport system and service industry.

The National Tourism Administration said advantages of retaining the weeklong holidays outweighed the disadvantages. The holidays provided people with time to relax and created opportunities for people to spend money.

The bureau said China had a swelling population and the holidays were not the root of traffic jams, crowded hotels and restaurants.

It said the country would improve the system to ease the problems.

China had been urged to enact a system with flexible paid holidays since the end of last year.

Some experts argued that the Golden Weeks did not ensure long-term commercial prosperity, as a “consumption rush” during the holidays often resulted in a consumption slump afterward.

(Shenzhen Daily April 6, 2005)