Tourists pose for a group selfie in front of the Temple of Heaven during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in Beijing, on October 4, 2020. (Photo/Xinhua)

A domestic travel boom is anticipated for the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from September 19 to 21 thanks to the resumption of cross-provincial tours and the opening of the Universal Beijing Resort.

While Putian in Fujian province has been hit by a new COVID-19 outbreak, cross-provincial tours are running smoothly in other provinces and cities such as Shanghai and Zhejiang province. Travel restrictions have been loosened since August 20 after sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks were brought well under control, setting up the possibility of strong growth in tourism during the three-day holiday.

Putian's bureau of culture and tourism released an emergency notice on September 12 suspending the operations of all public cultural venues, cinemas and cybercafes in the city. Tourism activities and tourism attractions in the city have also been suspended to help bring the outbreak under control.

Early figures from some travel agencies show a booming travel market for the holiday.

According to a recent report by Trip.com Group, an online travel agency, orders on its platform for cross-provincial tours increased by 356 percent on September 6 compared with August 20, when many destinations were under strict management due to sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks.

Tuniu, another online travel-service provider, said on September 8 that over 57 percent of its users had made reservations for long-distance tours over the holiday. It said about 40 percent of them planned to take four-day tours, while 24 percent were planning a six-day trip.

People ride on a roller coaster at the Universal Beijing Resort. (Photo/Xinhua)

Popular destinations included Hainan, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, but travel agencies said Beijing is expected to take the top slot as the Universal Beijing Resort is scheduled to officially open on September 20, the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The government has reminded travelers to stay alert during their trips as the nation still faces great pressure in preventing imported cases.

Travelers should get to know their destination's situation before departing and not travel to areas with medium or high risks of infection. 

Travelers cannot set off on trips if the area they are departing from is classified as a place with a medium or high risk of infection.

Source: China Daily

Editor: Annie