Qingyuan attracted 601,600 tourists during this spring’s May Day holiday, up 18.76 percent over the same period last year. Gross income from tourism from April 30 to May 2 totaled 302 million yuan, up 43.81 percent year-on-year. No tourism safety incidents were reported during the period.

The city welcomed 475,800 tourists on the first day of the holiday period, up 36.92 percent year-on-year. About 125,800 tourists stayed for the night in the city, up 30.27 percent year-on-year.

The city’s scenic spots welcomed 421,100 tourists, up 44.55 percent. Travel agencies welcomed 14,767 people, up 15.49 percent. The city’s hotels and private inns reported a 93 percent occupancy rate during the May Day holiday. Nearly 80 percent of the tourists came from Guangdong province. Among tourists from other provinces, most originated from Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Sichuan. Offshore tourists were mainly from Hong Kong and Macao.

During the May Day period, the city promoted its Kinship Spa, Passion Rafting, Rare Grotto and other tourism destinations. The city also integrated more local cultural features into its tourism industry destinations. Tourism is also promoting local real estate development, city officials said.

Companies from Qingyuan’s counties and districts cooperated with city government agencies to promote sales promotion cards and price discounts. This led to high occupancy rates. For example, more than 95 percent of the rooms at the Rare Grotto Hot Spring Hotel and Conch International Grand Hotel were reserved in advance, thanks to bulk booking discounts.