Beijing awash in tourists

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-05-02 15:48

Beijing saw a huge influx of tourists on Tuesday, the first day of the seven-day "golden week" May Day holiday.

Turnstiles in city parks clicked through about 459,000 tourists on the day, 5.4 percent up from last year.

Even if it is undergoing an overhaul, the Forbidden City drew people in droves. With two mobile ticket-sales booths open, it was visited by 73,700 tourists, seven times more than on normal days.

The management office of the historic site says it will take measures to control visitor numbers so as to protect the site.

Other popular destinations included Beihai Park, Beijing Zoo, the Beijing Aquarium and Lama Temple.

The holiday rush swelled traffic in the capital.

On Tuesday, Beijing West Railway Station was as busy as Spring Festival, with about 135,000 vying for seats on the trains.

This is the first "golden week" since the country's latest increase in railways speeds and Beijing West Railway Station is expecting to see a total of 1.15 million passengers, 145,000 more than the corresponding period last year, said a railway staffer.

More than 1.9 million passengers took the subway on Tuesday.

To ensure order, more than 3,000 city guards will patrol main streets and stations in key areas like Tiananmen Square and Wangfujing shopping zone.

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