Spring Festival brings good luck

By Xiao Jia | China Daily | Updated: 2007-03-30 06:40

Jiulian Waterfall, which in Chinese means nine small waterfalls composing an integrated large one, in Yuntai Mountain in Henan Province of Central China.

The peak season for Yuntai Mountain in Central China's Henan Province was during the Chinese traditional New Year holidays which began on February 18 and ended on 25 this year, when it was visited by hordes of domestic and foreign tourists.

Local government statistics show that Yuntai Mountain received 38,030 visitors during the weeklong holiday, with revenue from ticket sales reaching 2.2 million yuan, an increase of 16.4 and 9.5 percent respectively over the same period last year.

The number of foreign tourists at the mountain resort recorded a new high of 1,580 during the seven-day break, with visits from 21 overseas tourist groups and two chartered flights from Malaysia and the Republic of Korea.

The administrative committee of the mountain said overseas visitors mainly come from the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. There is a large inflow of tourists from China's Taiwan Province and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as well.

A notable characteristic was that the majority of Spring Festival brings good luck domestic tourists drove to the mountain and among the group , 200 were from Beijing, a source with the administrative committee said.

Besides warm service and the enticing natural landscape, tourists were also impressed by the local folk customs and performance.

"It's such an attractive place; we will definitely come here again. And I will also recommend it to my friends," a foreign visitor was quoted as saying.

The mountain launched a series of festive activities during the holiday. Chinese traditional performances included Taichi martial art in the Xiaozhai resort, performances by the Taihang monkeys in the Macaque Valley, and folk dance and military training performances. The park also offered visitors free mementos, DVDs and brochures about the park.

The park also offered tickets at half-price to attract more visitors to the mountain's winter wonderland.

Further, a string of promotional activities have been launched in foreign countries, including Russia, Germany, ROK, Japan and Thailand, to invite their citizens to visit Yuntai Mountain.

(China Daily 03/30/2007 page20)