During the five-day holiday of May 1, Beijing recorded more than 17.9 million tourist trips, which represents a year-on-year increase of 5.6 percent, according to the Beijing Municipal Office of Culture and Tourism.
Tourism revenues from the Chinese capital during the period reached 20.98 billion yuan (about 2.9 billion dollars), 6.9 percent more compared to the same period last year.
The Great Wall – one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, the Wangfujing shopping street, the Olympic Park, the Xidan shopping district, the Nanluoguxiang alley, known for its well-preserved quadrangular courtyards, and the Summer Palace, were among the ten most visited places on holidays.
The performing arts also shone. The city hosted 1,664 commercial performances, which attracted approximately 668,000 spectators and generated 242 million yuan in box office revenues. These figures represented year-on-year increases of 10, 10.9 and 29 percent, respectively.
Thanks to payment systems, simplified customs clearance and tax refund services, Beijing received 104,000 incoming international tourists, a year-on-year increase of 42.4 percent. These visitors meant 1.13 billion yuan in revenue from receptive tourism, 48 percent more than the previous year.
In turn, the rural areas of the capital offered various cultural and tourist offers, such as ecological tours, educational programs for parents and children and practical activities on intangible cultural heritage, aimed at those interested in short-distance getaways that combined leisure and learning.