Participants row a traditional boat as they take part in a performance before the start of the races during Dragon Boat Festival celebrations in Beijing on Friday. (Photo: Reuters)
China is expected to record a major uptick in inbound tourism over the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, with travel platforms reporting huge jumps in bookings by overseas users seeking out traditional Chinese cultural experiences.Chinese travel platform Fliggy has logged a more than 600% year-on-year increase in inbound bookings for the three-day holiday, which begins on Friday. Fliggy is owned by Alibaba Group Holding, which also owns the South China Morning Post.
The surge comes as traditional Chinese festivals become a major draw for foreign tourists, adding to the boom in inbound travel that China has witnessed since Beijing began relaxing its visa policies a few years ago.
With spending by international travellers rising over 10% to US$135 billion last year, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the travel boom is set to give China's economy a much-needed shot in the arm amid sluggish domestic demand.
More than a dozen Chinese provinces have rolled out festival-themed events for the holiday combining cultural, sports and retail experiences, as local governments seek to turn traditional customs into drivers of consumer spending, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
