Hangzhou sees tourism boom during Spring Festival holiday

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, saw robust tourist figures during the Spring Festival holiday, the latest figures show.

According to the statistics, the city received more than 4.7 million inbound and outbound tourists during the week-long Spring Festival holiday that began on Feb 5, generating tourism revenue of 6.1 billion yuan ($899 million), a year-on-year increase of 2.9 and 5.04 percent, respectively.

Tourists from Taiwan and Hong Kong were among the top in terms of the numbers of inbound overnight stays.

In addition, tourism in the city's cultural sector saw particularly large numbers, driven by the rich array of Spring Festival celebration activities, growing enthusiasm for museums and movies and shopping for cultural products, with a yearly increase of 61.26 percent, the report said.

The tourism boom can also be attributed to the newly opened Hangzhou-Huangshan high-speed railway, featuring seven 5A-level scenic spots including Huangshan Mountain, West Lake and Qiandao Lake, and over 50 4A-level tourist attractions along the route.

To attract more visitors, assorted activities showcasing the distinctive culture of Hangzhou were presented across local districts and counties throughout the holiday. Neighboring areas of Hangzhou downtown, especially rural ones were also favored by visitors. A combined 1.74 million tourists flocked to scenic spots in Chun'an, Tonglu and Jiande county, up 7.07 percent year on year.

The Spring Festival, Chinese Lunar New Year, is traditionally a time for family gatherings in China. It fell on Feb 5 this year.