China's tourism market sees increase

A tourist feeds black-headed gulls at Dianchi Lake in Kunming, Yunnan province, China, Jan 1, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's tourism market has seen stable recovery in the recent New Year's Day holiday thanks to the optimized COVID-19 control policies and eased travel restrictions.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the domestic tourism market received about 52.7 million visits during the three-day holiday - starting from Saturday - which is a year-on-year rise of 0.44 percent. The ministry said that the number is roughly 43 percent of that in same period back in 2019.

Revenue generated during the holiday is over 26.5 billion yuan ($3.84 billion), up 4 percent year-on-year, which is about 35 percent of the revenue created in the same period in 2019, said the ministry.

Short-distance tours remain popular choices for people. Long-distance travels are in stable increase after the nation eased travel restrictions in December, and destinations with mild climates and coastal views were favored by long-distance travelers such as Sanya in Hainan and Kunming in Yunnan province, according to the ministry.