China hosted 59.47 million tourists during the Spring Festival holiday from Feb. 1 to 7, up 15.3 percent from the corresponding period of last year, an official said Saturday.
Total tourism income in the seven-day holiday reached 25.76 billion yuan (US$3.13 billion), an increase of 13 percent.
Family travel during the Spring Festival was a new trend. More Chinese people preferred to travel abroad, with Vietnam, Thailand, the Republic of Korea and Australia their favorite choices, said Wang Jun, an official with the China National Tourism Administration.
He said tourism products during the holiday were more diverse, such as folk culture and winter products. The main theme of 2003, "cuisine travel," also provided a good experience.
The most popular domestic destinations during the Spring Festival were Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning.
(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2003)
