Scenic spots in Shanghai see big crowds during Spring Festival
Several scenic spots in Shanghai saw big crowds today, but the city received fewer tourists overall due to unfavorable weather conditions in the first four days of the seven-day Spring Festival holiday.
Despite the gloomy weather, some famous spots saw huge numbers, with many having to limit or suspend entry.
The Zhujiajiao Water Town in Qingpu District was overcrowded with tourists during the first four days of the Chinese New Year holidays.
The number of tourists in Zhujiajiao Water Town surpassed its visitor capacity of around 14,000 people at a time this afternoon, forcing operators of the tourist attraction in Qingpu District to impose a limit. Zhujiajiao received 39,673 tourists in total today.
The peak time to visit the town is between 10:30am and 4pm, the district government said, reminding travelers to avoid these times if planning a visit.
The Shanghai Disney Resort stopped ticket sales today due to large numbers of tourists.
Shanghai Disney Resort suspended ticket sales for today and tomorrow due to large numbers of guests, while the number of tourists at the landmark Yuyuan Garden attraction hit 261,152 by 10pm yesterday, setting a record, according to Huangpu District police.
Visitors had to walk over the iconic zigzag Jiuqu Bridge in just one direction, and the Yuyuan Garden Station of Metro Line 10 had to reroute entry and exit flows to deal with the crowds.
The iconic Yuyuan Garden in Huangpu District was packed with tourists today, the fourth day of the seven-day Spring Festival holiday. Above, visitors queue to walk on the zigzag Jiuqu Bridge, a tradition of Shanghainese during the Chinese Lunar New Year.
A huge crowd at Yuyuan Garden
Meanwhile, the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, the Shanghai Natural History Museum and the Shanghai Museum were also packed with tourists this afternoon, approaching their limits of 10,000, 5,900 and 3,161 guests at a time respectively.
Among some of the most popular tourist attractions in the city, the Bund received 1.05 million tourists over the four days, and the Nanjing Road E. pedestrian mall had 800,000 visitors.
Some other tourism spots saw a decrease in the number of visitors over the same period last year.
A total of 71,800 people visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, down 6.6 percent from the same period last year, and Tianzifang saw 139,400 visitors, a drop of 7.27 percent.
The Sheshan National Tourist Resort received 143,400 people, decreasing 11.97 percent, and the Fengjing Water Town welcomed 58,000, a drop of 16 percent.
Visitors flock to Nanxiang Town in the city's Jiading District on the second day of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
New attractions have been created, though, proving popular with tourists and increasing the popularity of associated services.
Sightseeing cruise trips on the Huangpu River are gaining in popularity during the holiday due to the opening of a 45-kilometer stretch of waterfront where the public can walk, run, and hang out. Nearly 30,000 tourists were recorded between Friday and today, the administration said.
Overall, Shanghai received 2.55 million tourists from New Year's Eve until today, a decrease of 3.2 percent from the same period last year, according to the Shanghai Tourism Administration.
The overcast and rainy weather is to be blamed, the administration said.
