"More Visitors Than Before COVID-19"... 'Igeot' Surpasses 1 Million Tourists

A Record 7 Days Earlier Than Before COVID-19 Outbreak
Accessibility Improvements Also a Popular Factor

The number of tourists visiting Baekdu Mountain (Changbai Mountain) in China surpassed 1 million this year.

According to the People's Daily report on the 22nd, the cumulative number of tourists visiting the Changbai Mountain Scenic Area (tourist area) in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture reached 1,007,700 as of the 20th.

Photo by Pyongyang Joint Press Corps

The annual number of tourists to Changbai Mountain exceeded 1 million seven days earlier than in 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19. This is interpreted as a result of the influx of tourists following the end of the pandemic.

This trend differs from the slow economic recovery and still subdued consumer sentiment in China, where domestic tourists have not yet returned to pre-COVID-19 levels despite eased quarantine measures.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of domestic tourists in China in the first half of this year was 2.384 billion, a 63.9% increase compared to the same period last year during the height of COVID-19, but only 77.4% of the 3.08 billion recorded in the first half of 2019.

Local media analyzed that the unprecedented heatwave this year has increased visitors not only in the neighboring northeastern regions and northern areas such as Beijing but also among summer vacationers in the southern regions.

Improved accessibility has also enhanced Changbai Mountain's appeal. Following the opening of Changbai Mountain Airport, the Changbai Mountain High-Speed Rail Station was inaugurated in December 2021, reducing travel time from Changchun, Jilin Province to Changbai Mountain to 2 hours and 18 minutes, nearly halving the previous duration.

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