China's tourism industry is set to experience a significant recovery during the ongoing three-day Qingming holiday which started on Thursday.
The Qingming Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday for people to pay tribute to the deceased, worship ancestors, and embrace nature.
The National Immigration Administration forecasts around 1.8 million inbound or outbound trips daily during the holiday, up 74.5 percent year on year.
Many travel platforms like Trip.com also saw bookings surge.
"Bookings for round-trip tickets on our platform during the holiday is 30 percent more than that of the same period of 2019, with 70 percent visitors for domestic travel and 30 percent for outbound travel. Also, we has seen a 153 percent year-on-year growth in inbound trip bookings for the holiday," said Evelyn Wang, PR Director of Trip.com Group.
As the Qingming holiday is relatively short, tourists mainly opt for nearby destinations. However, some individuals have taken additional days off to extend their vacation, flocking to distant destinations to revel in the beauty of spring.
"I'm going to Thailand to spend the holiday. I took three days off, and now I have an 8-day holiday. Many of my friends made the same choice and are having a trip in places such as Qinghai Province, Phuket in Thailand, and Jeju island in South Korea," said a tourist.
The visa-free arrangements between China and an increasing number of countries have also contributed to the convenience and accessibility of travel.
"Previously, we have to apply for visa when we go to Southeast Asian nations like Singapore. Now it's much more convenient," said another tourist.
"We don't need to spend a lot of time on trip preparation. We can go whenever we want now," said another tourist.
With optimistic travel policies in place, China's tourism industry is poised for a vibrant summer-autumn season.
The China National Tourism Administration's Tourism Academy projects that around 6 billion visits will be made to domestic attractions and destinations this year, with outbound travel expected to exceed 260 million visits.
China's tourism industry set for strong recovery during Qingming holiday
