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.
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