(Photo/Chen Yan)

Jiangsu registered over 14.2 million tourist trips during the New Year holiday with a total tourism revenue of 17.178 billion yuan, up 122.6% and 126.9%, respectively.

Popular destinations in the province included cultural venues, scenery spots, theme parks, rural attractions, in addition to experiences related to intangible cultural heritage, science and technology, and outdoor sports.

Various activities were held to celebrate the New Year, including lantern shows at the Garden Expo Park and Qixia Mountain, both located in Nanjing, as well as fireworks and concerts. Highlights also included special exhibitions at the Nanjing Museum and workshops on woodblock printing at the Nanjing Library.

In total, 1,200 performances were staged across the province during the 3-day holiday, attracting more than 300,000 audience members.

To promote holiday travel, the province’s Department of Culture and Tourism recommended 13 driving routes for the exploration of industrial highlights. Scenic areas in Xuzhou, Lianyungang and Suqian offered discounted tickets. Yangzhou provided free parking for inbound tourists at selected attractions, and Changzhou offered free public transport to tourists.

Additionally, law enforcement authorities intensified their inspections on key cultural and tourism sectors to address travelers’ complaints.

Furthermore, on December 30 and 31, transactions through the China UnionPay network in Jiangsu accounted for 10.62% of the national total during the same period, the highest share in the country. Data from internet search giant Baidu and service provider Meituan showed that Jiangsu ranked second nationally in terms of the number of inbound trips and the cultural and tourism spending.