Tourists flock to Hubei Golden Week

During the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, the increase in tourists to Hubei reached a historic high. The growth rate for eco-cultural tourism in western Hubei is higher than the provincial average, which is also higher than the national average.

, Tourists in 119 scenic spots directly monitored by the State grew by 20.96 percent, according to the National Holiday Office. However, the rise in western Hubei reached 59.95 percent, with Hubei province growing 43.56 percent based on data from the Hubei provincial holiday office and the western Hubei branch administration of the provincial development and reform commission.

Xu Xinqiao, deputy director of the committee of eco-cultural tourism in western Hubei, states that on one hand, the unprecedented numbers illustrate that the policy of eco-cultural tourism in western Hubei has attained favorable results, especially in manufacturing of tourism products and construction of supplementary services in western Hubei. On the other hand, the latest stimulus due to substantial ticket price reductions has triggered a considerable rise in revenue. For instance, only nine out of the 135 AAAAA scenic areas in China that had put forward a discounted entrance fee since Sept 30, six of which were in Hubei.

In spite of the drop in ticket prices of many scenic spots, western Hubei enjoyed the sharpest increase in total revenue among other areas nationwide.

Hubei’s calculated provincial income during the eight-day holiday reached 11.05 billion yuan ($1.75 billion), an increase of 61.25 percent over the same period last year. The number includes 107 million yuan ($16.9 million) worth of ticket discounts and allowances by 177 spots in Hubei.

The eco-cultural tourism industry in western Hubei represents half of the provincial income, with a growth rate of 78.53 percent, compared to a lower national average of 24.96 percent.