China Enjoys 'Hwanggeum Yeonhyu'... Signs of Domestic Tourism Recovery

On the 1st, China's National Day, tourists are walking along the street in front of Yuyuan Garden, a traditional Chinese garden in Shanghai. During the holiday period, which continues until the 8th of this month to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, hundreds of millions of Chinese people are expected to travel domestically. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Amid the massive population movement in China during the National Day "Golden Week" holiday until the 8th, the tourism industry has been revealed to be enjoying a boom close to the levels of previous years.

According to foreign media reports citing data from the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism on the 2nd, on the first day of the National Day holiday, October 1st, the total number of travelers nationwide reached 97 million, exceeding 73.8% compared to the same period last year.

The tourism industry forecasts that China's tourism sector will recover to 70-80% of last year's level in the fourth quarter of this year. In particular, by the second day of the holiday on the 2nd, the number of Chinese tourists reached 80.3% compared to the same period last year, and tourism revenue reached 69.5%, amounting to approximately 13 trillion won.

Hubei Province, which suffered the most damage as the origin of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), is also reported to have recovered tourism revenue to 85.5% of last year's level.

Especially as overseas travel became difficult amid COVID-19, Chinese travel demand concentrated domestically.

In the southwestern Sichuan Province, tourism revenue on the first day of the holiday increased by 38% compared to the previous year, and famous tourist spots such as Beijing's Forbidden City, Shanghai Disneyland, and Chengdu Panda Base were also crowded.

The Chinese authorities are also promoting domestic demand-centered economic policies by waiving or discounting entrance fees at more than 1,500 scenic spots nationwide and exempting highway tolls to revitalize domestic travel and consumption. Accordingly, domestic tourism in China is expected to recover to levels close to previous years during this National Day Golden Week holiday.

However, since the Chinese government has effectively declared the end of COVID-19, concerns have arisen as quarantine measures have not been properly implemented. During the holiday period, tourist sites were filled with crowds, making social distancing meaningless, and the majority were found to be in a "no-mask" state without wearing masks.

Experts unanimously warned that such population density should be carefully monitored, considering that the massive population movement during the Lunar New Year in January was the cause of the rapid spread of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.