Monday, February 2, 2009

Beijing tourism "bullish" during Spring Festival

Special Report: Spring Festival Special 2009



BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Chinese media) -- Tourism in Beijing appeared "bullish" during

the Spring Festival which marks the beginning of the Chinese ox year, according

to figures released by the city's tourism bureau Saturday, the last day of the

weeklong holiday.

During the Spring Festival holiday, from Jan. 25 to 31, the city received

about 3.24 million domestic tourists, a record high and up 20 percent from last

year, the bureau said in a press release.

The bureau said Beijing reported 2.1 billion yuan (about 3 million U.S.

dollars) in tourism revenue the past week, up 32.6 percent

The bureau reported that the average tourist spent 2,065 yuan (about 304

U.S. dollars), 90 yuan more than last year.

Beijing Olympic venues were popular among the tourists. The Olympic park

was visited by more than 1 million people, while the National Stadium and the

National Aquatics Center, dubbed Bird's Nest and Water Cube, saw a combined

220,000 sightseers.

Gu Xiaoyuan, spokeswoman for the Beijing Tourism Bureau, attributed the

increase to publicity, discounts and tightened management.

According to Gu, her bureau received fewer complaints from tourists during

the holiday. "The number of complaints was down by 28 percent compared with the

same period of last year."

She didn't specify how many complaints were received or what they were

about.

An online complaint service on the bureau's Web site indicates that the

most frequently received complaints regarded overcharging by unlicensed taxi

drivers and tour guides, poor food and accommodations and excessive shopping

instead of sightseeing.



No comments: