During "Golden Week," combined income from entrance tickets alone at 100 major tourists spots nationwide hit 379.43 million yuan (US$45.9 million), 20.9 percent higher than the same period last year.

These 100 places of interests, such as the Great Wall in Beijing, Mount Tai in East China's Shandong Province, and Potala Palace in the Tibet Autonomous Region, hosted a total of 11.67 million tourists, an increase of 5.7 per cent over last year, according to a report issued yesterday by the National Holiday Affairs Office under the China National Tourism Administration.

People's enthusiasm for sightseeing seemed to be cooler, however, and tourism was not the top entertainment during the holidays.

A recent survey by Chinese website sina.com showed that only 14.8 per cent among some 71,000 respondents said they would go on a tour over the holiday, while about 56 per cent said they would rather have a rest at home. Another 30 per cent of respondents said they would go to work or had not made a decision yet.

Unmanageable crowds of people and poor services prevalent at some tourist spots and travel agencies were the main reasons for less interest in tourism, although tourism authorities had promised service with "safety, order and efficiency."

The National Holiday Affairs Office received about 140 customer complaint calls during the holiday week, most of which reflected problems with bad service.

The "Golden Week" holiday economy has generated 152.5 billion yuan (US$18.4 billion) in tourism revenue over the past three years. As part of the service sector, the holiday economy cannot mature while the country's service industry stays mired at such a low level, experts say.

Meanwhile, the experts warned that tourist-saturated holidays could prove disastrous for cultural and natural sites.

Golden week brings Beijing tourist boom

A record 3.13 million tourists visited Beijing during the National Day Holiday, according to statistics released Monday by the Beijing Leading Group for Holiday Tourism.

The number of tourists increased by 10.6 percent compared to the same period last year. Income from tourism totaled 2.81 billion yuan (340 million US dollars), up 15 percent on a year-on-year basis.

Of the tourists, 1.3 million were local residents and 1.83 million came from other parts of China. During what is now called the Golden Week, 1.26 million Beijing people also traveled to other places.

Traditional tourist spots such as Tian'anmen Square as well as the newly established Shijingshan Sculpture Park and City Wall Relics Park attracted large number of visitors during the vacation.

Statistics show the number of visitors to tourist spots in Beijing's suburbs have surged and an increased number of Beijingers chose to travel in their own cars.

The survey shows tourists now more often make their own travel choices and tourism agencies have started to regulate local tourist industry according to market rules.

Tourists' complaints decreased by 18.4 percent compared to the Labor Day Holiday, which falls between May 1 and 7. Ninety-five percent of visitors surveyed were satisfied with Beijing's environment and tourist services.

Millions travel with east China railways

The Shanghai Railway Bureau, one of the biggest in China, handled some 6.33 million passengers fromSept. 28 to Oct. 7, a rise of 10 percent year-on-year.

Starting from Oct. 1, China's National Day, the week-long holiday coincided with Shanghai's International Tourism Festival, which added to the attractions of the metropolis.

Other regions such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in east China, both rich in famous attractions, received throngs of tourists from across the country.

An increased number of Shanghainese chose to travel during the holidays and contributed to the large number of passengers.

The Shanghai Railway Bureau put on 662 additional trains to meet the huge holiday demand.

The introduction of special inter-city runs for shoppers and for traveler also helped ease transportation tension, sources with the bureau said.

( October 8, 2002)