Fresh signs of recovery after 3-day holiday

The three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday ending Saturday had seen China’s tourist activities rebound and online consumption retain steam in fresh signs of post-epidemic recovery, reported Economic Information Daily on Monday.

The tourism sector that was once severely affected by the COVID-19 has warmed. Ticket purchases for tourist sites and hotel bookings increased more than fourfold and twofold, respectively, from the three-day Tomb-sweeping Day holiday in April this year, the newspaper reported, citing data from Mafengwo.com, a popular online travel website.

Trip.com said that during the holiday domestic tour-related searches and demand for flight ticket bookings were around 70 percent of the same period last year, according to the newspaper.

Local destinations are reopening and gaining foot traffic, with central China’s Henan Province receiving 5.75 million trips, 61 percent of the same time last year. Major tourist attractions in the southwestern Sichuan Province posted ticket sales revenue amounting to 60.18 percent of the same period last year.

Another highlight of holiday consumption is online sales, as the number of postal packages delivered climbed 47.68 percent year on year to reflect a growing demand for goods amid stepped-up work and production resumption.

E-commerce platforms continued to tap the vast rural consumer market, logging 150 percent year-on-year growth in bulk fruit, beef and lamb sales, while 70 percent of their holiday orders came from small cities and rural areas.