Shanxi province drew 22.48 million domestic and international tourists, a 43.77 percent increase over the previous year, and received record tourism revenue of 14.4 billion yuan ($2.29 billion), 67.08 percent higher compared to a year earlier, during the eight-day Golden Week holiday. The Golden Week holiday combines the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays and lasts from Sept 30 to Oct 7.

Jinzhong, Taiyuan and Yuncheng are the top three hottest tourist cities, drawing 4.36 million, 3.47 million and 2.76 million tourists, respectively.

Thirty-seven tourist attractions under the supervision of the provincial government drew roughly 8 million tourists in total, a 35.57 percent increase from last year. Ticket sales reached 278 million yuan ($44.2 million), 66.74 percent higher compared to a year earlier.

“The tourism is beyond our expectations. Hotels fail to provide enough accommodations, especially from Oct 2 to 4. Many tourist spots are over-loaded,’ said officials at the Shanxi Provincial Tourism Bureau. “The toll-free highway policy attracts more tourists, and this makes tourist spots even more crowded.”

Forty-nine complaints were made by travelers in Shanxi province, including 26 instances of poor service and unreasonable charges. Some complaints also criticized transportation, hotels and travel agencies. So far, 90 percent of complaints have been properly handled.