Concerts, exhibitions spurring holiday travel boom

The first three days of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holiday travel period recorded 395 million domestic tourists, a year-on-year increase of 75.8 percent, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Data also shows that the domestic tourism revenue exceeded 342 billion yuan ($47 billion), a year-on-year increase of more than 125 percent.

Trips coinciding with music festivals and art exhibitions are most popular this year. The ministry has been supporting the development of "one-stop" integrated cultural, commercial and tourism complexes that combine "watching performances, savoring cuisine, shopping and enjoying scenic beauty", People's Daily reported.

Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month each year and is a one-day statutory holiday, while National Day falls on Oct 1 and is a seven-day holiday. This year, the two holidays have coincided, creating an eight-day travel period since Friday.

Last week, the General Office of the State Council issued a notice on measures to release the consumption potential of tourism and promote the high-quality development of the tourism industry.

The notice mentioned that in order to further enrich the supply of high-quality tourism, release the consumption potential of tourism, and promote the integration of culture and tourism, measures will be taken to promote the healthy development of formats such as drama festivals, concerts, art exhibitions and cultural tourism exhibitions.