National day sails overseas

Chinese tourists take photographs by the Han River in Seoul. [Photo/Agencies]

Tourism income increased nearly 18 percent to 421.3 billion yuan ($65.8 billion).

The number of day-trippers stood at 412 million, up 9.8 percent. The number of people who spent a night or more in hotels grew by 14.7 percent to 412 million, the administration reports.

Beijing attracted 11.5 million tourists in the holiday period, up 1.6 percent. Tourism income reached 8.3 billion, up 7 percent.

The municipality's historical sites witnessed a sharp increase in visitors because of the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the anti-fascist war's victory, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development says.

Visits to the Tian'anmen Rostrum area surged nearly 60 percent to 220,000.

Traditional Chinese medicine and museums lured foreigners, too.

Roughly 1.9 million tourists visited over 150 museums in Beijing. The capital's TCM museum, acupuncture and massage facilities drew many foreign guests, the Beijing tourism commission says.

Hong Kong witnessed a slowdown in the growth of mainland visits. Roughly 1 million people from the Chinese mainland traveled to the city, 3.26 percent over the past year.

Japan's and South Korea's new competitiveness may be affecting Hong Kong's previous stature, China Tourism Academy researcher Yang Yanfeng says.

The yuan depreciation and Chinese stock market didn't make a noticeable dent. Shopping remained at the top of the list for visitors.

Due to the depreciation, Chinese tourists would generally lose no more than 300 yuan per 10,000 yuan they spent abroad, which wouldn't affect them much, Yan says.

The yuan is still much stronger compared with the euro and dollar than in the past, experts point out.

Zhang Lei from Fujian province went on a shopping spree in Japan over the holiday.

Zhang mostly bought made-in-Japan daily necessities and cosmetics, especially facial masks, which she says were cheaper and of better quality.

"I carried a suitcase with only a third of space filled before leaving for Japan, so I'd have space for things I'd buy."

Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn