The Confucius Temple scenic area in Nanjing (CFP Photo)
The Class A tourist attractions and the rural tourist destinations in Jiangsu Province received 7.58 million visitors during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and achieved tourism revenue of 2.85 billion yuan, up 82.22% and 72.34% compared with the same holiday in 2021, also 27.69 and 25.74 percentage points higher than the Dragon Boat Festival holiday this year, according to the province’s Department of Culture and Tourism on September 12.
Nanjing's tourism market showed a good recovery, with more than 1.66 million tourists to its scenic spots and rural tourist attractions, 116.27% of the volume in the traditional festival last year, and up 24.88% and 33.57% compared with the May Day and Dragon Boat festivals this year.
The popular destinations including the Jiangsu Garden Expo Park, Nanjing Eye in Hexi New Town, Laomendong historic and cultural block and Hongshan Zoo all reported more visitors than the same holiday last year.
Data showed the city’s total tourism spending reached 725 million yuan, 112.64% of the volume in the same holiday in 2021.
In particular, the city’s 63 rural tourist destinations, known for the countryside charm and beautiful environment, received a total of 446,200 visitors, 106.44% of the volume during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in 2021.
Night-time sightseeing became a highlight of the Mid-Autumn Festival too. As the Mid-Autumn Festival gala by CCTV took place in the province’s Zhangjiagang City, the city started a live-streaming e-commerce campaign lasting for six hours on September 10, which featured its intangible cultural heritage, specialty food with the hallmark of the coastal city.
The 3-day holiday also included quality exhibitions, such as the 2022 Nanjing Forest Concert that people could watch both online and on-site. The music stage, a building affiliated to the complex of Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, also hosted performances by the China National Opera House Symphony Orchestra, the National Ballet of China and the Dance Drama Ensemble of the Shanghai Opera House.
In Huai’an City, residents and tourists enjoyed the 5th Grand Canal Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition along with the inaugural Jiangsu Huai Opera Performance Month, which also provided signature food from cities along the ancient waterway network.
In addition, Nanjing’s cultural and museum venues were also popular destinations during the festival, receiving 68,600 visitors in the holiday, 28.71% higher than the holiday last year. Yangzhou China Grand Canal Museum, the first modern comprehensive canal-themed museum in the country, has also attracted visitors to take a look at a 100-m long paper-cut artwork inspired by the canal.
