WUHAN: Central China’s Hubei Province received more than 8.6 million visitors, generating tourism revenue of about 3.87 billion yuan (about 591 million U.S. dollars) during the three-day New Year holiday, according to the provincial department of culture and tourism.
Provincial capital Wuhan reported nearly 833,000 overnight visitors during the same period, generating 738 million yuan in overnight tourism revenue.
Nighttime trips have become a new attraction for the province’s tourists. On Thursday, many tourists waited for the first bell from the old Hankow Customs House building, one of Wuhan’s most popular New Year’s Eve spots, to ring in the year 2021. The province’s most sought-after tourist attraction, Yellow Crane Pavilion, also celebrated the new year with a light show.
To revive the tourism sector following the COVID-19 epidemic, the province organized a promotional activity from August to December last year.
Meanwhile, With a prudent, scientific approach to COVID-19 prevention and control, China has the capability and confidence to avoid a mass outbreak during the upcoming annual Spring Festival travel rush, despite seeing sporadic cases in several cities over the past few weeks.
This year’s 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, starting from late January with 407 million expected railway passenger trips, poses a new test for China’s COVID-19 control. Yet the world’s biggest annual human migration will not be much affected as the country has put in place strict measures, which have proven effective in preventing the mass spread of the coronavirus. –Agencies
