Shanghai tourism, culture industry off to strong recovery

Over 80 A-level tourist attractions and about 4,200 hotels across Shanghai have reopened, and the city's cultural and tourism venues have received about 1.7 million visits so far since their reopening, authorities announced on Thursday.

Also on the reopening list are 110 museums and art galleries, and 40 libraries and cultural centers as of Wednesday, the Shanghai Culture and Tourism Administration told a press conference. 

Shanghai has 113 A-level tourist attractions in total, although 12 are unable to open due to ongoing renovations or rectifications. 

Most Internet cafes, karaoke halls and gaming and entertainment venues in the city have reopened, according to Wang Wei, counsel of the administration.

"Shanghai's cultural and tourism authorities have taken a variety of measures to promote the resumption of cultural and tourism enterprises, and to provide safe, quality cultural products and services for Shanghai residents," Wang told the press conference. 

"The city's cultural and tourism industry is recovering in an orderly manner and the cultural and tourism consumption market is warming up," he said. 

Except for theaters, which require registration to reopen, and certain kinds of long-distance group tours which are still banned, other players in the cultural and tourism industry are allowed to resume operation directly, according to the administration. 

About 200 short-distance itineraries have been launched since intra-city group tours were allowed again in Shanghai, according to the administration.

“To assist in the resumption of operations among cultural and tourism enterprises, city authorities have implemented a number of measures to help them get through financial difficulties,” said Wang, speaking on the challenges faced by Shanghai's tourism sector. 

Under supportive measures, more than 1,000 travel agencies in the city have been returned quality assurance deposits totaling nearly 400 million yuan (US$56.34 million), according to Wang. 

The return is a temporary measure and full deposits should be paid back to the authority before February 5, 2022.

The deposits are used to compensate tourists in disputes over contracts or situations such as a travel agency going bankrupt.