China records more visits, spending on National Day holiday

China saw a marked increase in the number of domestic tourist visits and spending as 104 million people travelled during the week-long National Day holiday, raking up USD 12.7 billion.
Altogether 104 million people visited tourist attractions around the country yesterday, the second day of the holiday week, also known as the "Golden Week", up 12.5 per cent year on year, data released by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said.
Nationwide tourist spending rose 16.1 per cent year on year to 84.5 billion yuan (USD 12.7 billion) yesterday alone, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the CNTA as saying.
The tourism surge followed a record high in railway travels on Saturday, the first day of the holiday.

Railways carried 14.4 million passengers on Saturday, up 15 per cent year on year, according to China Railway Corporation.
China is expected to rake up 478 billion yuan (about USD 80 billion) of tourism income during the holiday week, a 13.5 per cent increase year on year, according to a survey by China Tourism Academy and Ctrip, an online travel agent.
Grappling with dwindling exports resulting in economic slowdown, China is reorienting its economy shifting the focus away from export dependent economy to the one relying more on domestic spending.
National Day holidays are the second biggest to be followed by Chinese New Year in February during which millions of people travel in and outside China spending seizable amounts.