Tourism booming during China's National Day holiday

This year's National Day holiday period has come to an end.

The extended 8-day holiday has seen a boom in tourism, which has not only benefited the economy of China, but also that of many other countries.

Tourists visit the Huangguoshu Waterfall in Anshun City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Oct. 2, 2017. China witnessed more than 710 million tourist trips during the eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn holidays, ringing up to over 580 billion yuan (88.68 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism income, according to the National Tourism Administration. [Photo: Xinhua/Chen Xi]

As one of China's two Golden Weeks, this year's National Day holiday has seen a surge in tourist revenue and passenger flows.

Data from China's tourism authorities show that over 700 million tourists traveled around the country during the holiday, generating revenue of over 580 billion yuan, or about 88 billion U.S. dollars.

Over 110 million trips by railway have been made since the first day of the holiday, and China's railway authorities had scheduled thousands of extra trains to ensure smooth travel.

Passengers are seen at the Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, east China, Oct. 8, 2017. Chinese railways and planes are busy carrying passengers back to work and colleges on the last day of China's National Day holidays. [Photo: Xinhua/Liu Ying]

The economic impacts of China's mobile population have also been felt worldwide as more Chinese have opted to travel overseas.

Sheng Long is an engineer who used to study in the UK.

He and his new wife decided to go back to the UK for their wedding photos during the National Day holiday.

"We were both students here before in Southampton and we both have lots of fantastic memories before and we decided to create our own memories together."

Sheng and his wife are just two among thousands of others to make a romantic pilgrimage to London.

Ray Wu, director of a London-based photo studio, said the Golden Week is the busiest time of the year.

"Well, I've been doing last year for nearly 200 couples a year. This year will probably be the same."

Data compiled by China National Tourism Administration shows Russia was the most popular destination for Chinese tourists, followed by Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.

Chinese tourists shopping in Ginza shopping district on October 5, 2017, Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government recently released a survey conducted among foreign visitors to the capital revealing a drop in the average spend per visitor over the last fiscal year. Despite the drop, the survey still placed Chinese tourists as the biggest spenders in Tokyo with an average spend of 203,816 yen per visitor. [Photo: dfic.cn/Rodrigo Reyes Marin]

However, besides traditional "big hits," some destinations off the beaten track have become new favorites for Chinese travellers.

Effy from Shanghai chose to visit Israel during the National Day holiday to experience the religion, culture and history.

"It's very difficult, so that's why I come here to experience it by myself to see if I can understand it more."

China outpaced all other countries with nearly 65-thousand trips to Israel in the first seven months of 2017.

Israel's tourism ministry is also working to attract more Chinese tourists by launching direct flights to Tel Aviv from Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai and improving tourism infrastructure to meet Chinese travelers' specific needs.

The tourism boom has also led to the rise of personalized tours in the country.

Travel agencies now offer specifically designed tours to Chinese tourists in terms of different destinations, accommodations, travel routes and special care to meet their different needs.

Travelers are satisfied with this kind of personal-tailored trip despite the relatively high price.

"In terms of the price, I don't think it is a disadvantage at all, because this is equivalent. How much it costs depends on how many requirements we ask. I think it is equivalent. And I think the variability is that we can choose the length of time, the hotels, the vehicles, and the tour guides we hope to be provided, even make plans on each day's journey."

China's domestic tourism industry earned about 3.9 trillion yuan in 2016, and the country plans to raise tourism revenue to 7 trillion yuan by 2020.

The nation will work to develop tourism into a major driver of economic transformation.