Pingtan sees tourism boom during Dragon Boat Festival holiday

A record number of people visited Pingtan in South China's Fujian province during this year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday, according to the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone's bureau of tourism development.

Large crowds visit Beigang village in Pingtan, Fujian province, during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

More than 130,000 people visited Pingtan over the course of the three-day holiday, generating 65 million yuan ($9.6 million) in revenue for the island city, according to statistics released by the bureau on May 31.

Tourism was up on last year's Dragon Boat Festival both in terms of visitor numbers and total spending, revealed an official from the bureau, who attributed the rise to the city's upgraded tourism facilities and Chinese consumers'increasing spending power.

Attractions including Beigang village, Guocai village, Haitan Ancient City and Aoqian Taiwan Town are still Pingtan's hottest destinations for visitors, the official added.

Hotel owners in Pingtan also reported a surge in business during the holiday.

"As many visitors checked in on one day during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday as during an entire week normally," said the owner of a local youth hostel surnamed Chen.