Visitors spend freely as tourism rockets in Zhuhai

Tourism revenue rose 29.4 percent year-on-year to 788 million yuan ($124 million) during the April 29-to-May 1 Labor Day holiday, according to the Zhuhai Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau.

Of 1.6 million tourists (up 18.6 percent), 379,000 (up 8.5 percent) stayed overnight compared with the same period last year.

Monitored mobile communication data show that cities in the Pearl River Delta and along high-speed rail routes are main resources for visitors. Around 75 percent of intra-provincial trips were made from Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, Jiangmen, Foshan, and Dongguan.

Chimelong Clown Show

Meanwhile, those from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Beijing, Hunan, Henan, Sichuan, and Hubei accounted for about half of the number of tourists from outside the province. As for foreign visitors, most were from the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia -- in all about 60 percent of the total.

Zhuhai's popularity is attributed to the strategy of Making Tourist Resources More Attractive. High-profile theme parks and island tours were the top choices, and visitors flocked to Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort, Xianglu Bay, Haibin Park, New Yuanming Palace, and Yeli Island.

A direct ferry from Shenzhen's Shekou to Zhuhai's Guishan Island, which opened on April 29, brought more tourists to the latter. There, they enjoyed famous children bands such as Tornado and Magic Music at the 4th Wanshan Feiluo Music Carnival.

Other May Day holiday options included countryside fun and the health-preserving hot springs in Doumen and Jinwan districts, and the Gaolan Port Economic Zone. Culinary delicacies were available throughout the city, another big tourist draw.

Tourists gather in the countryside

As for outbound tourists, Guangdong's Zhongshan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Jiangmen, and Foshan were the first choices of Zhuhai residents. Then came Yulin, Wuzhou, and Nanning of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chongqing Municipality, and Changsha of Hunan Province.

Furthermore, multitudes headed for Hong Kong, Macao, and en route to Southeast Asia via Zhuhai checkpoints. The Zhuhai General Station of Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection recorded nearly 1.26 million border crossings as of 7 pm on May 1, a year-on-year increase of 2 percent. Of them, 66 percent were mainland tourists. The number of vehicles inspected by border control authorities was up 4.5 percent to 29,000. 

Tangjiawan Gourmet Festival [Photos by Zeng Yao, Zhu Xi & Cheng Lin / Zhuhai Daily]