Shenyang sees tourism recovery during May Day holiday

Shenyang, capital city of Northeast China's Liaoning province, received 894,300 visitors and recorded total tourism revenue of 13.06 million yuan ($1.84 million) during the May Day holiday from May 1 to 5, according to local reports.

A spokesman for the Shenyang culture, tourism, radio and television bureau said that the city's culture and tourism sector saw a noticeable recovery during the five-day holiday and 33 of the 121 A-level tourist attractions were opened to visitors.

Outdoor scenic spots were popular with May Day holiday visitors, the spokesman said.

During the holiday, Qipan Mountain scenic area received a total of 117,700 tourists and recorded an income of 820,000 yuan, an increase of 37 percent and 91 percent respectively from last year's May Day holiday.

Meanwhile, Guandong Movie and TV Town received 6,700 visitors and recorded an income of 310,000 yuan; Beiling Park received 462,000 tourists, posting an income of 590,000 yuan; Shenyang Forest Zoological Garden received 41,600 visitors, with an income of 3.11 million yuan and Bird Island received 26,800 tourists, generating an income of 680,000 yuan.

Indoor tourist attractions such as Shenyang Palace Museum, Shenyang Expo Garden, Marshal Zhang's Mansion Museum, and Shenyang Fantawild Adventure were also open to visitors during the holiday.

These had in place comprehensive novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control measures, including online ticket booking, body temperature measurements and limits on the number of visitors.

To attract more visitors to the city and drive growth in the tourism sector, Shenyang has launched nearly 100 online and offline tourism activities. These include the tulip festival at Shenyang Expo garden, the 10 most beautiful cycling routes, walking routes and self-drive routes, as well as online calligraphy and painting exhibitions held by Shenyang Art Museum.

The spokesman for the Shenyang culture, tourism, radio and television bureau said that the epidemic prevention and control measures had prompted higher requirements for the intelligentization of scenic spots in the city and smart management in scenic spots.

The spokesman added that in future, scenic spots should further improve their online booking, real-name ticket purchasing, smart parking, smart entrances and intelligent navigation systems and 5G technology should be promoted to upgrade the management in tourist attractions.