|

Tourism industry insiders in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province have high expectations for the upcoming five-day May Day holiday. [Photo/cnjxol.com]

Tourism industry insiders in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province have high expectations for the upcoming five-day May Day holiday, which falls on May 1 to 5, as the tourism market has been picking up rapidly this year, local media reported.

Figures from Qunar and Ctrip, two of the biggest online travel agencies in the country, showed that air ticket bookings for the May Day holiday experienced a staggering increase compared to the amount in 2019, while reservations on scenic area tickets and accommodations have also witnessed a significant increase compared to the 2019 total.

"The tourism market in China is sure to be quite prosperous during the May Day holiday," said Chu Huiliang, general manager of CITS (Jiaxing) International Travel Agency, who is positive about the tourism market recovery in Jiaxing.

Chu added, "Many Jiaxing residents didn't get to travel last year. However, more stable COVID-19 control and prevention measures in China has made them feel confident that they can travel in the country."

He said that since March, the travel agency has been receiving phone calls inquiring about travelling to Jiaxing.

Many of them have come from distant provinces, including Qinghai, Shanxi, and Yunnan, with the duration of their stay in Jiaxing increasing from one or two days to around five days, added Chu.

"Previously, most tourists from distant provinces visited Shanghai and Hangzhou, with a stopover in Jiaxing. However, this year, many tourists are regarding Jiaxing as their main holiday destination," he said.

As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Jiaxing is the birthplace of the CPC, the red culture tourism destinations in Jiaxing are particularly attractive to CPC members this year, according to Gu Chanjuan, general manager of Jiaxing Sunshine Hotel.

She said that CPC members are expected to account for about 50 percent of the hotel's total lodgers this year, 20 to 30 percent higher than the previous years.

During the recent Qingming holiday, 12 scenic areas in the city received more than 420,000 tourists, with the gate receipts of these scenic areas totalling nearly 16.71 million yuan ($2.55 million).