BEIJING: China saw a total of 515 million trips made across the country during the seven-day National Day holiday, which ends on Thursday, slightly down from last year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Tourism recovered to 70.1 percent of the pre-pandemic level and dropped by 1.5 percent from last year’s holiday, which was the first National Day break after the pandemic began, the ministry revealed on Thursday.
Consumption has declined more as several COVID-19 outbreaks have emerged recently in the country, causing some tourist sites to remain under lockdown and prompting potential travelers to opt for staycations or short trips.
The country generated 389.06 billion yuan ($60.35 billion) in tourism revenue during the holiday, down 4.7 percent year on year, and recovered only by 59.9 percent from the pre-pandemic level, the ministry revealed.
The National Day holiday, known as “Golden Week”, is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.
The week-long holiday was extended to October 8 last year as it coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese festival that falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar.
–The Daily Mail-CGTN
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