A TOTAL of 135 million domestic trips were made in China during the three-day New Year holiday from Dec. 30, 2023 to Jan. 1, 2024, statistics from the country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed. According to the ministry, the amount is 155.3% higher than the same period last year and 9.4% higher than the figure from 2019. During the period, the total revenue in China’s tourist market surpassed 79.73 billion yuan (US$11.27 billion), doubling the figure for the holiday season last year and increasing by 5.6% year on year from 2019, the ministry added. Meanwhile, the number of trips made by people exiting and entering China during the New Year holiday has returned to the same level as it was during the same period in 2019 before the COVID-19 epidemic started, according to statistics from the National Immigration Administration. During this year’s New Year holiday, border control agencies nationwide inspected inbound and outbound travelers about 5.18 million times, a 4.7-fold increase compared to the New Year holiday in 2023. This is roughly in line with the figure seeing during the holiday in 2019, the administration said yesterday. Among them, 2.51 million trips were made by inbound travelers, and about 2.67 million trips were made by people leaving the country, it added. To ensure people could enter and exit the country smoothly and effectively, the administration deployed more officers, opened up more inspection channels and promptly guided the flow of inbound and outbound passengers during the holiday, according to the administration. Meanwhile, Beijing’s 170 main scenic areas recorded a total of about 4.83 million visits during the New Year holiday, marking a year-on-year increase of 80.5%, according to the municipal bureau of culture and tourism. The revenue of these scenic areas totaled 324.71 million yuan during the three-day holiday, up 30.8% year on year. Parks in Beijing saw 2.54 million visits, an increase of 69% over the same period last year. The Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven and Beijing Zoo were among the most popular tourist destinations during the holiday, according to Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau. (Xinhua, China Daily) | 