Festival boosts hospitality industry

Scenic spots, homestays enjoy bumper weekend as scores go out on holiday

The domestic hospitality industry is moving toward recovery as Mid-Autumn Festival, which ended on Monday, saw diverse and booming travel.

Around 73.41 million domestic trips were made in China during the public holiday, generating 28.68 billion yuan ($4.14 billion) in domestic tourism revenue, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

According to a report by Suzhou-based online travel agency, Tongcheng Travel, the average daily orders of domestic scenic spots increased by 159 percent during the three-day festival compared with the previous weekend. More than 500 scenic spots had seen an increase of 200 percent. The average daily orders of short-distance bus tickets increased by 60 percent compared with the previous weekend.

A report released on Monday by online travel platform Ctrip showed that the average daily orders during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival saw a double-digit increase compared with Dragon Boat Festival in June. It was more than doubled compared with the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday in April and the May Day holiday. As people are advised not to travel, more than 60 percent of guests served by the domestic hospitality industry were from surrounding areas.

The report said homestays became a keyword one week before the festival and the booking volume of homestays increased by about 10 percent compared with the Dragon Boat Festival. Among them, rural homestay searches skyrocketed.

Accordingly, the average price of homestays increased by 27 percent year-on-year. Bookings of homestay accommodations priced at more than 1,000 yuan per night increased by 59 percent compared with last year's Mid-Autumn Festival. A great lodging experience, facilities for children, good food and hospitable hosts were the top four reasons to choose a homestay.

Ticket orders for Mid-Autumn Festival increased by more than 30 percent compared with Dragon Boat Festival. Theme parks, mountains, historical sites, museums and zoos became the most popular tourist destinations, said the report.

News website CCTV.com reported medium and high-rate hotel reservations accounted for more than 60 percent of the total during the festival, with a significant increase compared with previous years.

The search volume for hotels featuring starry night skies, hot springs, lake views and camping experiences rose more than three times compared to before the festival.

Nighttime tourism also did well, said a China National Radio report. A number of travelers flocked to the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province; the Pearl River in Guangzhou, Guangdong province; and the Huangpu River in Shanghai to enjoy spectacular night views. Scenic spots such as Tangcheng in Xiangyang, Hubei province, and Xixi Wetland in Hangzhou, held a variety of folk activities at night.

Villages including Gaoling in Jiangxi province's Jingdezhen, Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall Reserve in Beijing, and Xidi in Anhui province, offered accommodation for guests to have a peaceful stay from the crowds while admiring the moon with their family.

Similarly, many museums across the nation have encouraged people to honor Mid-Autumn Festival traditions. For example, China Traditional Culture Museum hosted a fair featuring intangible cultural heritage. And Guangzhou Sunac Land held an event integrating traditional culture with fashion.

In the western suburbs of Beijing, Xiangshan Park held a livestream backed up by 5G technology to celebrate the festival. Visitors were invited to contribute by reading out classic Mid-Autumn Festival poems. Also, Yuantouzhu Scenic Area in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, held a concert that featured music themed on reunion, thoughts and joy, followed by a fireworks display.

During the festival, people's enthusiasm for outdoor activities reached a new high. Many ventured outside to camp, ride bikes, play flying disc, go skateboarding and paddleboarding, CCTV.com said.

Mafengwo, a travel service and social networking platform, said that the search volume for camping increased by more than 130 percent. The search volume for "cycling around Qiandao Lake in Hangzhou" rose by 164 percent compared with last week, it said.

yinruowei@chinadaily.com.cn