Chongqing – The A-class tourist attractions in Chongqing received 8.49 million visitors during the May Day holiday from May 1 to 5. To boost tourism consumption, 35 districts and counties and 94 scenic spots in the city launched ticket discounts, employing measures to benefit tourists and guests. 

The Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce announced on May 4 that the retail sales of major business districts and key monitored commercial and trade enterprises reached 10.7 billion yuan ($1.6 billion), a year-on-year increase of 5.1 percent during the holiday.

Nanchuan Jinfo Mountain Scenic Area received 86,000 tourists; Youyang Taohuayuan Scenic Area received 85,000 tourists; Wulong Karst Tourist Area received 68,000 tourists; Hongyadong Folk Customs Area received 217,000 tourists; Ciqikou Ancient Town received 143,000 tourists trips.

Rural homestay travel, camping travel, and local tours around the city are favored by tourists. Chongqing Zoo, Fuling Meixin Wine Town, Bishan Xiuhu Scenic Spot, Tongnan Shuangjiang Ancient Town, and Chongqing Happy Valley received 146,000, 140,000, 128,000, 85,000, and 64,000 tourists, respectively.

Diverse cultural and artistic activities 

The city's 43 public libraries and 41 cultural centers are open free and provide online services with rich content. It is understood that 386,000 people visited the library, and 950,000 people enjoyed online services.

Chongqing Library's "The Century Cruises" branch was officially unveiled on April 30 to further promote public cultural service.

The city has launched 59 performances during the holiday - including the Sichuan Opera "Chinese Princess Turandot", the children's drama "Magic Puzzle", the acrobatic show "Magic City Extreme Happiness Show", original ballet fairy tale dance "Animal Carnival: Children's Dreams", immersive interactive game drama "Ultimate Deception 2.0" and other dramas - which was well received by residents and tourists.

Colorful intangible cultural heritage activities

In addition to more than 200 regular exhibitions, the city's museums have launched 45 temporary exhibitions, carried out 50 social and educational activities, and received 436,300 visitors. 

Chongqing Natural History Museum and the Three Gorges Cultural Relics Science and Technology Protection Base held popular science education activities to understand nature and cultural relics restoration. 

The museums - Hongyan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, Geleshan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, Comrade Nie Rongzhen Memorial Hall, Jianchuan Museum, and other revolutionary museums and memorial halls - received nearly half of the number of visitors to the city's museums.

The city also organized a series of intangible cultural heritage activities, such as woodblock printing lessons, "Tima Ancient Song" intangible cultural heritage exhibition and performance, and other activities.

Unleash cultural and tourism consumption 

The 7th Chongqing Culture and Tourism Consumer-Benefit Season started on April 22, with the theme of "Slow Life in the City, (a) New Experience in the Countryside," issued 3 million yuan of coupons to residents and tourists. 

The coupons covered cultural tourism products such as A-level scenic spots, star-rated hotels, homestays, rural picking activities, and self-driving tours.

Camp tours and short-distance self-driving tours have seen an increase during the holiday. The camping gatherings such as Changshou Lake Tourist Area and Kaizhou Hanfeng Lake Scenic Spot have grown significantly, receiving 320,000 tourists and 290,000 tourists, respectively, an increase of 52.3 percent and 41 percent year-on-year.

Effective tourism guidance

The city timely released relevant information on culture and tourism in Chongqing and used the official accounts of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development to provide over 100 customized tour routes, including parent-child tours, weekend tours, and travel by cars, health-care travel, and fruit-picking experiences.

On April 28, the Information Office of Chongqing Municipal Government held a press conference to release the epidemic prevention and control policies and measures for cultural tourism venues in Chongqing during the holiday. It helped tourists understand the latest epidemic prevention and control policies before traveling during the holidays.