China 's four-year-old scheme to boost consumer spending by giving people longer holidays has proven successful during the just ended Labor Day holiday which saw tourism and spending rise significantly nationwide, state media said.
Retail sales during the May 1-7 Golden Week increased by 23 percent from the same period in 2002, the People's Daily said, citing figures from the Commerce Ministry. No amount was given.
Beijing began giving its citizens a week-long holiday to celebrate May Day in 2001, increasing the previous three-day holiday to seven days by tagging on two weekends in a bid to increase spending and increase economic growth.
Last year the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) forced the central government to cancel the arrangement.
But few Chinese were worried about the respiratory disease this year with only nine new cases arising since last month. Almost no travellers wore face masks.
Some 104 million tourists flooded scenic spots across China during the past week, 19.6 percent more than in 2002, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Earnings from tourism reached 39 billion yuan (4.7 billion US dollars) nationwide, an increase of 17.8 percent from 2002, Xinhua said.
City dwellers with increasing disposable income travelled in droves.
Nearly 30 percent of China 's urban population chose travel as a major activity during the holiday, Xinhua said, citing statistics from the office for nationwide tourism coordination.
Northeast China 's Liaoning province, where the scenic city of
Dalian is located, received over 5 million tourists during the week, an increase of 15 percent over the same period last year, Xinhua said.
It garnered over 2.1 billion yuan (253 million dollars) in earnings from tourism, up 16 percent from the same period in 2002, according to the local branch of the nationwide tourism office.
Transportation facilities nationwide were strained by the large numbers of travellers.
About 310 million people traveled by public vehicles and trains in the seven days, nine percent more than the same period in 2002, Xinhua reported, citing statistics from the Ministry of Communication.
Another 2 million people flew, Xinhua said.
Besides public transportation, millions of Chinese have become new car owners and many of them chose to drive to their destinations.
