Dragon Boat Festival holiday expected to boost tourism industry in China
As most parts of China have been cleared of major threats from COVID19, the upcoming three-day Dragon Boat Festival that kicks off on June 25 is expected to become another stimulus to the nation’s recovering tourism industry.
Data from travel website Qunar shows that trips to cities like Chengdu, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Shenzhen are most popular and the air ticket prices of some popular routes have rebounded after the plummeting drop a month ago. Shanghai-Chengdu and Chengdu-Shenzhen flights are priced at 1030.53 yuan and 770.6 yuan, respectively, an increase of 18% and 8%, respectively, compared with the May Day holiday. // should add dollar values and don’t need to be so precise; can round the values
The rise in air journeys also means the hotel industry is gradually getting back on its feet. Qunar data shows that high-end hotel bookings in May are already up by 24% compared with that of April and the start of June, with hotel bookings in provincial regions like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Chongqing, as well as cities in the Pearl River Delta, showing weekly growth rates of more than 20%.
In Shanghai, for example, popular attractions such as Disney Resort, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, and Yu Garden are most popular. Yu Garden is already staging a light show and a traditional Chinese temple fair to encourage more visitors during the holiday.
As grassland trips have been picking up popularity in summer holidays, this upcoming Dragon Boat Holiday is also expected to see more travelers looking to immerse themselves in nature. Data from travel website Mafengwo found that keyword searches for grassland trips is up by 746% week-on-week, with the Hulun Buir grassland in Inner Mongolia being the most anticipated trip destination. (By Dai Xiaoyu)
