China sees tourism boom in county-level markets during May-day holiday

During the five-day May Day holiday from May 1 to May 5, travel destinations in lower-tier markets achieve a substantial surge in popularity, with improved infrastructure and enhanced hospitality capabilities.

Data from Ctrip, China's leading online travel agency, showed that hotel bookings and scenic spot ticket orders in county-level markets soared 68 percent and 151 percent respectively during the holiday, which ended on Sunday.

The smaller and county-level cities of Tumushuke, Baoshan, Huaihua, Chifeng, Hetian and Heze saw a sharp increase in air ticket bookings.

The tourism boom in these markets is attributed to the great improvement of infrastructure facilities in rural areas and the development of characteristic towns, according to experts.

"The rural service level along highways is constantly improving. The construction of service stations along highways, the improvement of environment and the upgrading of parking lots and charging facilities have all provided a strong support for the industrial development along highways," said Liu Dongmei, deputy director of the big data industry research and development center of the Research Institute of Highway under the Ministry of Transport.

To attract tourists, the county-level authorities have launched many entertainment activities and programs with local uniqueness.

In the suburb of Shanwei City in south China's Guangdong Province, folk artists performed kylin (a mythical creature in Chinese legend) dance to welcome tourists from far away.

"The performance is fantastic and full of traditional cultural elements," said a tourist while watching the kylin dance.

In Chengjiang City in southwest China's Yunnan Province, local villagers performed the grass lion dance to entertain tourists. The lion is made of grass and tree branches.

"This is the first time I've seen the grass lion dance. It's a novel experience to me because I've never seen it anywhere else," said a tourist named Shen Qi.

Meanwhile, in Nanjing City of east China's Jiangsu Province, many people spent the holiday in the countryside, where they could not only enjoy beautiful scenery, but taste the delicacies made by local farmers.

"The tofu made in this way tastes more delicious. It reminds me of my childhood," said a tourist surnamed Zhu.

Pingliang City in northwest China's Gansu Province is home to the Kongtong Mountain – a national 5A-level tourist attraction.

Many villages in the city have further tapped into their abundant natural resources to offer tourists with new traveling experience.

Xigou Village launched activities such as outdoor camping, gliding, and horse riding to entertain tourists. Haizhaigou Village has built a magnificent glass skywalk extending more than 600 meters and with an altitude of about 100 meters. Sigou Village has turned cave dwellings (unique houses commonly seen in northwest China) into restaurants and launched activities such as fruit and vegetable picking for tourists.

"This place is near the Kongtong Mountain and boasts water and other natural resources. I feel quite free with the breeze blowing on my face," said a tourist named Sun Cheng.

China sees tourism boom in county-level markets during May-day holiday

The depreciation of Japanese yen has caused an old coffee shop in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan to suffer rising financial strain due to surging import costs.

The coffee shop, with a 50-year history, is facing fund squeeze. The owner, 82-year-olld Hajime Yoneyama said that the depreciation has led to increased prices for imported raw materials, particularly coffee beans sourced mainly from Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia, resulting in a 20 percent surge in purchase costs.

"The purchase price (of coffee beans) has increased by 20 percent. I feel that the prices of vegetables and oil have also increased by at least 20 percent. Now the prices of these things continue to rise, with no sign of stopping. The expenditure situation of the store may become more severe in the future," said him.

Yoneyama said that he had to raise the prices to sustain the coffee shop's operation.

"Recently we had to raise the price. Previously, a cup of coffee cost 500 yen. It's no longer sustainable (without price increases) and now it's up to 600 yen," said the owner.

Furthermore, in an effort to cut costs, the elderly Yoneyama works with just one employee, yet the store business kept crippling. He said that a significant portion of his pension funds is used to cover store expenses and employee wages.

Locals worry that if the weak yen trend persists, the pressure on livelihoods will further intensify.

"The prices of everything are increasing, food, drink, vegetables. It would be great if there was a solution. Medical supplies are also an issue that needs to be considered. I do worry about what the future will bring," said a local resident.

"Not only are labor costs rising, but gas costs are also rising, so operators need to cut expenses, such as advertising expenses, and the work that they originally paid to hire people to do may now be borne entirely by the operators themselves," said another resident.

Japan’s time-honored coffee shop face fund squeeze due to weakening yen