China’s tourism industry showed strong momentum during the National Day holiday， which lasted from October 1 to 7. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism （MCT）， the country’s tourism revenue reached 389 billion yuan （$60 billion） during the period， 59.9 percent of that over the same period in 2019， prior to the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020. Travelers booked over 500 million trips during the holiday， 70.1 percent of the pre-pandemic level during the same period.
　　Dai Bin， President of the China Tourism Academy， said that thanks to pandemic control， the performance of the tourism market during the National Day holiday had met expectations， and he is optimistic about the future of the overall industry. According to Dai， tourism operators should be taking advantage of the current preferential government policies and should also be looking for new areas of demand and diversifying their operations.

New trends

　　New domestic COVID-19 cases prior to the holiday led to a trend， seen nationwide， of a large number of tourists choosing to travel within their home provinces or regions.
　　One newlywed couple from Yantai， a coastal city in Shandong Province， spent three days of the holiday on a nearby island instead of traveling outside the province. “We can see the sea from the café and it’s pleasant to read books and talk inside，” the bride， surnamed Lu， told Haiwai.net， the website of People’s Daily Overseas Edition. “Spending the holiday near my home has saved the trouble of traveling a long distance.”
　　Short-time， short-distance and high-frequency travel has gained popularity during the holiday. According to MCT statistics， resort hotels and highstandard village homestays in the suburbs of first- and second-tier cities proved very popular. Recreational vehicle camping and self-driving tours in nearby locations also emerged as new trends. About 49.1 percent of tourists chose to travel between cities within their home provinces during the holiday， up 4.1 percentage points year on year. Over 88 percent of tourists traveled within a distance of 300 km. The proportion of tourists who chose a self-drive holiday reached 55.8 percent， up 10 percentage points from last year. Tourists who visited villages and parks in areas surrounding their cities of residence accounted for 28.9 percent and 25.8 percent of the total respectively， up 4.6 and 5.7 percentage points respectively from last year. 　　Gaocun， a township in Mianyang， Sichuan Province， became a popular tourist destination during this year’s holiday.
　　The township boasts a beautiful environment， with green mountains， fresh air， and clean rivers. It’s an ideal destination for city dwellers to relax， and highend homestays have been built in the township in recent years to accommodate tourists.
　　“It’s like a wonderland here. The air is fresh and the mountains are surrounded by clouds and mist，” said Huang Jinghua， a tourist who visited the township during the holiday “All the food we ate was grown by local farmers and very healthy.” Huang also said he planned to visit Gaocun again with his family and friends. Tourists visiting the township can also go hiking in the surrounding hills and pick the walnuts and pears that grow there.
　　As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， tours of destinations associated with the revolutionary history of the nation， known as red tourism， also gained momentum during the holiday. This year’s National Day holiday was also China’s first after accomplishing the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects， with absolute poverty now eliminated.
　　According to the MCT， red tourism sites across the country have launched a series of activities to inform visitors about China’s revolutionary history. The newly opened Museum of the CPC in Beijing and the site of the First CPC National Congress were both hot destinations during the holiday.
　　According to statistics from Ly.com， a Chinese online travel agency， the number of red tourism trips increased 230 percent year on year during the holiday.
　　Heavy rains in Shanxi Province didn’t deter tourists from visiting the Eighth Route Army Taihang Memorial Hall in Wuxiang， a county in the province. Wuxiang was one of the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army， led by the CPC during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression （1931-45）. The memorial hall is the only museum that comprehensively presents the Eighth Route Army’s contributions during the war.
　　Yin Liangchao， a tourist from Huainan， Anhui Province， drove his 76-year-old father all the way to the hall， a trip of nearly 800 km.
　　Red tourism has also become increasingly popular among young people as well. According to statistics from Qunar.com， an online travel service provider， of those booking red tourism products， nearly 20 percent are under 25.

Cultural tours

　　Tourism products have also become increasingly diversified. For instance， the Universal Studios Beijing Resort， which opened in September， was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the capital during the holiday. The resort has also had a significant influence on the city’s tourism and economy. Statistics from Qunar.com showed bookings of Beijing hotels increased by 57 percent compared with the same period last year and the average price of a room was 598 yuan （$92.7） during the holiday， up 100 yuan （$15.5） year on year.
　　Liu Hui， an associate professor at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， said tourists are no longer following the old model of tourism in which they book tours through a travel agency and only take a cursory look at each site. Instead， they are focusing more on the quality of travel and may only visit one destination to relax and learn.
　　For instance， visits to museums and theme parks were on the rise during the holiday. According to food delivery giant Meituan， which also sells tickets online， sales of tickets for art galleries in the country increased 595 percent year on year during the holiday and sales of tickets for museums increased 115 percent year on year.
　　Many people also chose to go see a movie during the holiday. The Battle at Lake Changjin， a film based on the Chinese People’s Volunteers， who joined the battle that turned the tide of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea （1950-53）， raked in nearly 4.22 billion yuan （$654 million） by October 11， its 12th day of screening.
　　Another patriotic film， My Country， My Parents was also popular， grossing 1.2 billion yuan （$186 million） by October 11. BR