Beijing sees robust tourism growth during Dragon Boat Festival holiday

The Chinese capital recorded 8.21 million tourist visits during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, up 5.4 percent year on year, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism said on Monday.

Running from May 31 to June 2, the three-day holiday saw 10.77 billion yuan (about 1.49 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue in Beijing, up 6.7 percent from the same period last year.

To boost the city's tourism, more than 1,700 cultural tourism events, including dragon boat carnivals, intangible cultural heritage markets and Hanfu (traditional Chinese attire) workshops, were held.

This year's Dragon Boat Festival on May 31 overlapped with Children's Day on June 1, driving a high demand for family-friendly outings and educational tours.

Meanwhile, 1,119 commercial performances staged across the city attracted an audience of 458,000 with a total box office revenue of 140 million yuan -- representing year-on-year growth of 32 percent, 75 percent and 130 percent, respectively.

In the three days, Beijing's inbound tourism market also experienced strong growth, with 67,000 inbound visitors, a 35.8 percent increase year-on-year, and tourism revenue from them rising 41.1 percent year-on-year to 720 million yuan.