The vistors celebrate New Year's Eve in Fuzhou. [Photo by Chi Yuan/WeChat ID: image_fuzhou]

The New Year's Day holiday in Fujian province saw a vibrant cultural and tourism market teeming with many enchanting events. According to estimates, the province welcomed a staggering 9.39 million visitors during the New Year period, resulting in an impressive tourism revenue of 6.07 billion yuan ($853.05 million), an increase of 13.7 percent and 18 percent, respectively, over the same period in 2019.

Throughout the New Year's Day holiday, the weather in the province was ideal, and a wide array of exhibitions and cultural activities added to the appeal, attracting a multitude of tourists. Spectacular performances such as large-scale operas, immersive dramas, Yue operas, marionette shows, Nanyin operas, Liyuan operas, Gaojia operas, and more provided a cultural and artistic extravaganza for both locals and visitors.

To stimulate cultural tourism consumption, various regions in Fujian province launched a series of preferential activities for the benefit of the public. Fuzhou organized a range of consumption promotion events, while Putian integrated food, accommodation, shopping, and entertainment into its consumption promotion activities, combining online and in-person approaches to appeal to tourists.

The performing arts market was particularly vibrant during the New Year holiday, with music festivals held across Fujian to celebrate New Year's Eve, including the Ching YOUNG music festival in Fuzhou and Aaron Kwok's concert in Quanzhou. According to survey data, foreign tourists accounted for 35.7 percent of the audience at major concerts throughout the province, further boosting the consumption momentum of cultural tourism in Fujian.