Over 3,700 tourist attractions encourage online booking

SHANGHAI -- Some 3,770 tourist attractions in China have resumed operation and launched online booking access on Trip.com Group, the country's largest online travel agency.

According to Trip.com Group, tourists from Hunan, Chongqing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Beijing, Shandong, Anhui and Guangdong have booked tickets for tourist attractions for the upcoming International Labor Day holiday through its online platform.

Many tourist attractions and museums nationwide offering free entrance, including the archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, also require online reservation.

"Tourists will get used to making a reservation before traveling, which is helpful to avoid gatherings as an epidemic prevention and control effort," said Yu Xiaojiang, an official of the company.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Health Commission recently released a circular, requiring tourist sites that resume operation should receive no more than 30 percent of their daily visitor capacity and indoor tourist sites should remain closed amid the epidemic.

The circular required tourist sites to encourage visitors to reserve visiting slots in advance to control visitor flows and prevent large gatherings.