THIS year’s China Tourism Day, which falls on May 19, was marked with a host of preferential measures and nationwide activities to boost the recovery of the tourism industry. In its 11th edition, the event took place under the theme “green development, better life” and tapped into new tourism trends emerging in the country. Earlier this month, the May Day holiday saw domestic tourism surpassing pre-epidemic levels with 230 million trips made across the country, higher than the 195 million trips registered in 2019, according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Ecotourism, rural tourism and themed itineraries are gaining momentum among Chinese travelers. Favorable policies were introduced across the country to celebrate the China Tourism Day covering bucket-list attractions as well as remote off-the-beaten-path destinations. In Shanghai, 69 scenic spots, including Shanghai Disneyland Park, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Wild Animal Park and other popular spots, slashed their admission fees in half Wednesday. But travel destinations were also limiting the number of visitors to avoid overcrowding, according to the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism. In the eastern province of Anhui, A-level tourist sites opened their doors to the public for free. Others had been holding online activities since the previous week to give lucky visitors the chance to win tickets to popular attractions like the Yellow Mountain and Fangte Adventure Theme Park. The main venue of the 2021 China Tourism Day celebrations was Wuhan, in the central province of Hubei. The city bore the brunt of the coronavirus epidemic in the country last year, enduring 76 days of lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. It has since roared back to life with visitors from around the country pouring in to support local businesses. Artistic performances and ticket discounts awaited the public across the city’s scenic areas. To mark the day, China Post issued a set of four special stamps on “Fujian Tulou,” rural round-shaped dwellings exclusively found in the southeastern province of Fujian and designated by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2008. Qinghai Province, in China’s Northwest, marked the day with a five-day cultural festival that highlighted nature-centric traveling. As part of the activities taking place between May 19 and 23, experts and scholars were invited to discuss the different ways of “building an international ecotourism destination” in Qinghai. Other provinces like Jiangsu, Shandong and Jiangxi were also following suit, encouraging ecological tourism. (CGTN) | 