During China's combined National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from October 1 to 8, tourist flows to the famous Changbai Mountains in northeast China have persistent remained high, boosted by operation of the newly opened Shenyang-Baihe High-Speed Railway and National Highway 331.
Official data show that more than 50,000 travelers arrived at the mountainous scenic area, located in northeast China's Jilin Province, by train between Oct. 1 and 5, which was 9,000 more visitors than the same period of last year.
On Sunday, the fifth day of the holiday, a total of 43 trains carried tourists from cities including Beijing and Shenyang to the Changbaishan Railway Station.
Many visitors from southern China just timed their journeys to spend the holiday in the popular destination.
"I first took a flight to Shenyang and then a nearly two-hour train ride to reach the Changbai Mountains West Station," said Tian Yuan, a tourist from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality more than 2,700 kilometers away.
Alongside the railway system, the newly opened 9,333-kilometer National Highway 331 between Altay in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Dandong City in Liaoning has also served as a new tourist route, providing travelers with new options for self-driving tours.
The simultaneous opening of the high-speed railway and the highway during the holiday season has led to a surge in visitor numbers.
To cope with the peak holiday flow, scenic areas on the routes have upgraded their managements systems to ensure smooth entry and orderly sightseeing for visitors.
At the Tianchi Lake (or the Heavenly Lake) of the Changbai Mountain Scenic Area, newly built boardwalks and expanded viewing platforms have raised the site's visitor capacity by 20 percent.
The integration of upgraded facilities and services has strengthened the linkage between the Changbai Mountains and surrounding attractions.
Meanwhile, new recreational activities, including grass skiing, hot-air balloon rides and ginseng digging experiencing, are attracting tourists to extend their stay.
"The occupancy rate at our resort area has risen 27 percent year on year. By Oct. 6, all 3,200 rooms had been fully booked. With the new transport routes, the Changbai Mountain is shifting from a 'peak-season hotspot' to an all-season tourism destination," said Xia Yulin, a staff member at a local tourist resort.
Northeast China's Changbai Mountains see holiday tourism boom with new transport links
