Nation opens door wider to tour groups

Reasons for boom

Wu Liyun, an associate professor at Beijing International Studies University's China Academy of Culture and Tourism, attributes the summer tourism boom to several factors.

She said that due to a resurgence of COVID-19 outbreaks in the first half of this year, people from certain cities rarely had the chance to join tours that crossed provincial borders.

As a result, it was only natural for them to set off on trips when many regions resumed cross-provincial tours recently thanks to policies being relaxed to spur a recovery in the industry.

Wu added that the summer vacation is always the peak tourist season in China.

Parents take their children on tours, middle school and university students have graduation trips, while some people opt to take annual leave during the summer, Wu added.

"Another factor is the preferential policies introduced across the country aimed at stimulating the tourism market," she said.

Authorities at provincial, city and county level are issuing tourism promotional coupons for visitors to use in hotels, at scenic areas and for admission to shows. Some scenic areas are even waiving entrance fees to attract arrivals.

However, a large influx of visitors may cause inconvenience, with long lines forming in scenic areas and hotels being fully booked.

"People like to follow the crowd in visiting a popular destination. Some venues become crowded because they do not prepare well to handle such numbers," Wu said.

She suggested that destinations optimize the supply of tourism products to encourage visitors to stay longer. They should also improve public services and infrastructure such as parking lots and public toilets to meet visitors' demands.