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In a few days, China will welcome its traditional Spring Festival which is expected to ignite the tourism industry. "The tourism market is expected to set a new record this year. Not only will the number of tourists grow rapidly, but that of tourist destinations as well," said Zhang Xiqing, vice director of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). The total number of domestic travelers and those from abroad is expected to surpass the figure in the same period last year, which stands at 28 million, he said. Experts said that China's tourism industry is gaining stronger momentum, thanks to the sound economic development of the country. An increasing number of people prefer to spend the festival traveling rather than staying home. "This year's Spring Festival has some special meaning as it is the first in the new century. Many of my friends will travel to such places as the ice city of Harbin in the northeast or the spring city of Kunming in the southwest," said Ms. Du, an employee of an Internet company in Beijing. Most of the air tickets to Harbin and Kunming have been sold, according to the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC). The holidays around the National Day, the Spring Festival and May Day, have become popular traveling seasons, during which tourists flock to scenic spots or other tourist destinations. The tourism surge has substantially stimulated domestic demand, but it also brought about a series of problems such as traffic congestion, a shortage in hotel rooms and poor services. The CNTA has called for joint efforts to increase transport capacity and improve services to cater to the needs of tourists.