China's tourism sector projected to see surge bolstered by May Day holiday travels

China

China's tourism sector projected to see surge bolstered by May Day holiday travels

2024-04-29 13:11 Last Updated At：20:17

China's tourism sector is expected to see another surge following the market boom brought by the Qingming Festival earlier this month, as data show that a nationwide May Day holiday travel rush is already around the corner.

Ahead of this year's May Day holiday, which runs from May 1 to 5, train and flight tickets to many popular domestic tourist attractions have already been fully booked.

Based on the data of visas, popular overseas destinations for the five-day holiday are Japan, South Korea, Australia, Vietnam, Canada and New Zealand.

In terms of inbound travels, statistics from several travel service platforms have shown that the bookings on long-distance trips have taken up half of the total, with cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Hangzhou being the most that win hearts of tourists for holiday travel.

Many attractions have also brought forth new tour products to attract holidaymakers.

Beijing has launched three helicopter sightseeing routes, enabling tourists to see grand mountains, the Miyun Reservoir, the Baihe River Canyon and the Great Wall from the sky.

"The part of Great Wall in Miyun District stretches over 200 kilometers. Many sections of the Great Wall are not opened to the public yet, as they are still in protection. The helicopter tour which allows people to view the Great Wall from the sky has now become another way for sightseeing," said Wang Yongku, deputy director of Miyun District's Culture and Tourism Bureau.

Meanwhile, data also indicates that the number of tourists who would like to visit small cities across China has been increasing, as the hotel bookings in county-level areas have risen by 68 percent year on year.

Small cities with feeder airports such as Baoshan, Huaihua, Chifeng and Heze have seen a year-on-year surge in plane ticket booking, with that of most of them growing by over 50 percent.

Intense clashes between Russia, Ukraine continue in Kharkov region

2024-05-15 14:53 Last Updated At：15:07

Fierce clashes continued on Tuesday between Russia and Ukraine in the Kharkov region, which has become a new focal point in the conflict in recent days.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that its forces continued to take up favorable positions on the frontline in Kharkov, occupying a village and striking several Ukrainian military targets including its multiple rocket launcher system and air defense system.

The ministry also reported that the Russian army repelled Ukrainian attacks in several other directions, while the Russian air defense forces intercepted a number of Ukrainian drones, army tactical missiles and aerial bombs.

On the same day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the current situation on the front line remains critical, but stated that the Ukrainian army has been making every effort to repel Russian attacks, while causing great losses to the Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Tuesday that the situation in the Kharkov region is "difficult" but still "under control", and said the Ukrainian army has strengthened its military forces in various regions, especially in Kharkov.