Tourism boom as millions get into the holiday spirit
Shanghai witnessed a booming tourism market during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, which concluded on Monday, with 200 activities staged across the city, from tranquil moments of exhibition appreciation to vibrant celebrations of dragon boat races.
The city recorded 7.6152 million visits by tourists during the holiday, a jump of 13.24 percent from the same period last year, according to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism.
A proud showcase of self-made zongzi in Jinqiao area.
The average occupancy rate of local hotels hit 58 percent, up 3 percentage points.
Major local tourist attractions had 3.16 million visits, growing 37 percent from the same period a year earlier, while 152 museums received 380,000 visits, an increase of 30 percent.
During the holiday, the Bund, the Yuyuan Garden scenic area and the central Lujiazui area welcomed 2.0608 million visits, up 32.15 percent, while 447 performances were staged across the city during the holiday, drawing 412,000 audiences.
Children show off their dancing steps at Life Hub@Anting in Shanghai International Automobile City.
A cultural feast was cooked up in the city during the holiday, with exhibitions including "All That Glitters: Chinese Cloisonné as a Gift from Robert Chang's Collection" at Shanghai Museum and "An Immersive Exhibition of Chinese Shadow Puppetry" at Shanghai World Expo Museum.
The former featured 46 pieces of cloisonné enamelware including furnishings, daily necessities, and stationery items, with the earliest dating to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), while the latter presented a feast of light and shadow, taking viewers on a journey through time to an ancient Chinese mythological world.
A citywalk in Xuhui during the holiday
Back to tradition was the key catchphrase during the festival as people enjoyed traditional Chinese culture and the festive atmosphere.
In Songjiang, Baoshan and Qingpu districts, thrilling dragon boat races and culture festivals were held, wowing visitors, while gems of Chinese intangible cultural heritage were promoted with a slew of activities marked.
A dragon boat race on Shangda River in Qingpu.
At Wanping Theater, the 2024 Intangible Cultural Heritage and Chinese Opera Fair was held during the holiday, with a blend of guochao (China-chic) handmade crafts, Chinese opera salons and films, plus a coffee workshop.
At Life Hub@Anting in Shanghai International Automobile City, a Dragon Boat Festival bazaar was held, with people wearing hanfu (traditional Chinese Han-style attire), playing zongzi throwing games and experiencing dragon boat rowing games.
A float parade at Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park.
A display of intangible cultural heritage was also featured at the bazaar.
A perfumed sachet culture festival at Guyi Garden, shadow play show at Nine Trees Future Art Center, and a trendy culture bazaar at The INLET further enriched the holiday experience for residents and tourists.
At Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, animals were treated with iced zongzi or sticky rice dumplings, a must-eat for the festival, but in a version specially made for them.
Enjoying the fun of making zongzi in Jinqiao.
Seals were fed with zongzi made of capelins and ice cubes, while zongzi with stuffings such as herring and salmon were the favorite of sea lions.
Firework shows were staged at the park during the holiday and people also learned bamboo plaiting and perfumed sachets at its bazaar.
China's global travel service provider Trip.com said bookings of inbound tours surged 115 percent during the holiday from the same period last year with the majority of inbound tourists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea and Malaysia. Shanghai topped the list as the most popular domestic destination for inbound travelers during the holiday, it said.
A unique festival treat of zongzi at Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park.
A fireworks show at Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park.
