A sublime evening view of the Quzhou Ancient City Cultural Tourism Zone. [Photo/WeChat ID: quzhouta]

The recent May Day holiday saw a remarkable surge in tourism for Quzhou in Zhejiang province, with the city welcoming 1.48 million visitors, representing a 25.6 percent year-on-year increase.

Of these visitors, 959,000 stayed overnight in the city. During the break, Quzhou generated a total tourism revenue of 1.6 billion yuan ($221.4 million).

During the holiday, key attractions in Quzhou attracted 1.21 million visitors, a massive 60.2 percent year-on-year increase, while ticket sales reached 15.55 million yuan, up 37.5 percent.

The top three most-visited key attractions were Quzhou Ancient City Cultural Tourism Zone, Kaihua county's Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone, and Jianglang Mountain-Nianbadu Tourism Area.

Notably, Quzhou Ancient City Cultural Tourism Zone ranked eighth among the top 10 scenic spots rated 4A or 5A in the province for daily visits.

On May 1-5, Quzhou hosted a series of cultural and tourism activities to showcase Song Dynasty (960–1279) cultural charm through performances and live-action shows. The Quzhou Ancient City Cultural Tourism Zone alone welcomed 471,200 visitors, a 48.13 percent increase, with a 27.96 percent rise in international tourists.