A commercial street bustles with visitors in Huzhou during the Spring Festival holiday. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

Huzhou saw an upswing in its tourism segment during the recently concluded eight-day Spring Festival holiday, which began on Feb 10.

As of 4:00 pm on Feb 17, the city, located in East China's Zhejiang province, had welcomed over 5.18 million tourists across its key scenic spots, hotels, rural homestays, and cultural venues, official statistics show.

Of the 5.18 million visitors, 2.73 million ventured to rural areas, marking a 52.2 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023.

In tandem with the flourishing tourism sector, Huzhou's consumer market also experienced a notable upturn during the holiday. Official data reveals that the 61 monitored commercial enterprises in the city collectively achieved 270 million yuan ($37.51 million) in sales during the eight-day break, reflecting an 18 percent year-on-year increase.

To stimulate the consumer market, the local government organized 63 New Year series activities, contributing to a 13.5 percent year-on-year increase in sales volume, totaling 170 million yuan across the 17 monitored supermarkets in the city.

In an effort to attract tourists, various major pedestrian streets in the city curated immersive consumer experiences. As a result, the 19 surveyed accommodation and dining enterprises reported a total turnover of 80.68 million yuan, representing a 28.3 percent year-on-year increase. Simultaneously, 16 sampled cinemas saw a 16.5 percent year-on-year increase in total operating income, amounting to 27.62 million yuan.

The holiday travel season also saw the city handle 680,100 passengers, representing a 55.7 percent increase compared to 2023. Among them, 171,994 opted to travel via railways, up by 60.19 percent year-on-year.