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It's the end of the three-day New Year holiday, and millions of people are now returning home and getting back to work. We're going to take a quick look at some of the trends during this, the first holiday weekend of the year.
According to country’s tourism bureau, the majority of holiday-makers chose short-distance getaways over long ones. While for those who went overseas, tropical islands in neighboring countries such as the Maldives, Bali, Phuket and Saipan were very popular.
Back here at home, and destinations in southern provinces such as Hainan, Fujian and Yunnan drew a large number of visitors. The spectacular natural scenery and the good quality air are the primary attractions really. In the country’s northern regions, meanwhile, it's all about the hot springs and ski resorts.
Cities famous for winter activities, such as Yabuli in Heilongjiang province, Erdos in Inner Mongolia and Zhangjiakou in Hebei province -- which will co-host the 2022 winter Olympics with Beijing -- attracted tourists in huge numbers.
Getting it started on the snow. This is how many Chinese holiday makers choose to start their New Year. Ski resorts, mostly in the northern parts of the country, have been crowded out during the three-day holiday.
Quality time with family members, a little bit of exercise, and most importantly a chance to visit China's winning bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, made this the perfect snowy getaway.
"It’s so special this year because Beijing will host the 2022 Winter games, and also the snowy conditions are great this year. It feels awesome to ski here," a citizen said.
Ski here with great winter scenery and be fresh for the new year, that’s a lot of comfort.
Skiing is still a new activity for many in China. But the resorts do arrange for instructors to offer tips to beginners. But falling down doesn’t dampen anyone's enthusiasm.
"I came here with my classmates. I fell down three times already. But the atmosphere is so great."
"Skiing is a sport many people want to experience. This is my first time, now I really want master it," people said.
As interest in the sport snowballs, many resorts are upgrading their facilities to meet the increasing demand.
"We spent about 35 million yuan to upgrade the ski park this year. We want every skier to be satisfied here," said Yang Guanghu, ski resort manager.
China has just 10 million or so active skiers, but with a growing middle class, and a real incentive to increase and update ski facilities, that number is set to explode with some 300 million people expected to engage in winter sports in the run up to the 2022 Olympics.
中文国际网摘编：GAN JADE |
