As the pandemic continues to affect many countries and regions around the world, people are welcoming the Chinese National Day holiday, which coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, lasting 8 days, starting from October 1.
China's tourism industry believes that the "Bustling Golden Week of the Year" holiday since the COVID-19 outbreak could continue to boost domestic consumption and recover the economy in the post-pandemic period.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said that since the beginning of September, Chinese people have begun to book tickets for vacations, increasing tourism incentives. According to the ministry, China will reach a record 550 million domestic tourists during the "Golden Week" holiday.
According to China Railway Corporation, there are expected to be 108 million trains during the 11 peak days of the National Day holiday, an average of 9.82 million trips per day. National Day on October 1 will witness a peak in passenger traffic, estimated at about 13 million trips - marking a new milestone in the average daily passenger traffic of trains since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, China's domestic flights are also expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels, the Global Times reported. The newspaper quoted information from the global travel analysis and data website Cirium as saying that more than 164,700 domestic flights have been scheduled during this time, an increase of more than 11% over the same period in 2019 when there were about 148,000 flights.
"I have been waiting for a long holiday; an 8-day holiday is perfect for my planned trip to Taitung - Dao Cheng, a famous scenic spot in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, southwest China," Chen Xiaoying, a worker at a real estate company in Shanghai, told the Global Times, adding that most of her friends have planned to travel because they have been " latched" for a long time.
According to the survey results sent by Rong360 Jianpu Technology to the Times Global, respondents planning to travel during the National Day holidays account for more than 60% of the total, a significant increase compared to the first half of the year; more than half of respondents want to increase their budget for National Day holidays, showing good prospects for the tourism market.
With an expected consumption boom in almost "all sectors", experts say the booming tourism market is expected to boost economic recovery in the world's second largest economy, and create new momentum for the world's post-pandemic recovery.
Reopen cautiously
Despite the excitement of "Golden Week", China's tourism industry remains cautious about the spread of COVID-19 and applies strict control measures.
"The pandemic is still the biggest challenge that the tourism market faces - Benson Bao, General Director of a tourism company mainly exploiting the European market, said. Bao said, if the pandemic can be controlled this fall and winter, the domestic tourism industry is expected to recover completely in February, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2021.
According to a survey by Rong360 Jianpu Technology, people's willingness to travel during this year's National Day holiday has "significantly decreased" compared to previous years. In such a context, it will still take time for the tourism market to fully recover, and the trend of the domestic and foreign pandemics will affect the development of the tourism industry in the long term, the survey shows.
"We will continue to keep tourists below 75% of the maximum capacity of tourist attractions - Xu Wanfu, head of the tourism department of Truong Dich city, Gansu province, Northwest China, said, noting that all tourist and performing attractions across the city will apply strict epidemic prevention measures.
Meanwhile, foreign tourism is almost frozen due to the serious COVID-19 pandemic situation in the countries. China's Foreign Ministry also warned people to be cautious and not travel unless necessary during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day on September 28.
Overseas travel has not recovered for at least one to two years, or at most four years, according to some studies.
