Travelers to set record during upcoming holidays

A record number of travelers are set to travel within the country during the upcoming National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival vacation period, Yang Feiyue reports.

The number of Chinese travelers opting for trips lasting five days or more is likely to reach a record high during this year's National Day holiday, the country's largest online travel agency, Trip Group, predicts.

The first day of the week-long holiday will overlap with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which also falls on Oct 1 this year, meaning the public holiday will last eight days.

People who take six days off after or before can enjoy 16 days off, which is great news for long-distance domestic travel, experts say.

All outdoor tourist attractions in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region reopened in September, when the region also allowed the resumption of interprovincial travel, the Xinjiang department of culture and tourism reports.

Travel within the mainland has returned to normal with pandemic controls, says Peng Liang, a researcher with Trip Group's big data lab. And the recovery has also boosted domestic travelers' confidence.

"Smooth tourism-market operation over the past few weeks will help build momentum for the travel boom during the long National Day holiday," Peng says.

The repressed desire to travel has been simmering for months.

"Bookings for the holiday reached 65 percent by early September," says Wang Zuoquan, an official with Beijing's Wtown resort.

The resort has seen daily visitor numbers exceed 10,000 since August, and hotel-room bookings have often exceeded the same period of last year, Wang says.

"Family travelers have significantly increased. Individual spending is rising. And guests are staying longer," Wang says.

Wtown has kept up sanitation, and offers online payments and audio guides.

Wang expects guest numbers to peak during the October holiday.

"They can enjoy the stunning autumn views of colorful leaves and enjoy hot springs," Wang says.

Last year, domestic destinations received 782 million visits during the seven-day National Day holiday and raked in nearly 650 billion yuan ($95 billion) in tourism income.

Tourism players are counting on the holiday to make up for the losses caused by the pandemic and have developed favorable policies to boost consumption.

Xinjiang's Kashgar is offering free access to all of its A-level scenic spots, discounts for its star-rated hotels and incentives for travelers who drive themselves, which will remain in effect until year-end.

Central China's Hubei province and East China's Shandong province have also opened A-level attractions to the public for free.