Taihu Ancient Town in Huzhou draws a large number of visitors during the Spring Festival holiday. [Photo/Tide News]

As of 4 pm on Feb 4, Huzhou had welcomed 5.81 million tourists during the Spring Festival holiday, generating a total tourism revenue of 7.84 billion yuan ($1.08 billion), marking respective year-on-year growth rates of 11.97 percent and 12.71 percent.

A substantial 3.35 million people engaged in rural tourism, leading to revenue of 2.24 billion yuan, up 22.6 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

During the holiday, Huzhou hosted over 1,370 cultural activities, attracting 256,000 participants. The city highlighted the Year of the Snake with special exhibitions at the Huzhou Museum and reading parties at the Huzhou Library.

Additionally, Huzhou's status as a premier ice and snow tourism destination in East China was reinforced with various offerings such as ice and snow entertainment and hot spring experiences, attracting 249,000 visitors to six spots during the period.

The Anji Skyland Ski Resort and Taihu Longemont Ice and Snow World saw increased footfall with diverse entertainment options combining skiing and snow view appreciation.

The holiday witnessed a rise in parent-child tours, family vacations, and road trips. Huzhou's boutique hotels and homestays seized the opportunity by offering packages like consecutive stay deals and discounted New Year's Eve dinners. According to statistics, the average length of stay for tourists increased from 2.8 to 3.3 days, with overnight visitors accounting for as much as 71.3 percent of the total.

The opening of the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-speed Railway further boosted Huzhou's tourism, increasing the number of tourists arriving by high-speed train from Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Anhui by over 20 percent.