China’s has seen robust demand for services during the National Day holiday, with average daily sales revenue in tourism, accommodation, hospitality and other service industries rising 19.5 percent year on year, according to value-added tax invoice data released by the State Taxation Administration on Thursday.
Referred to in China as “Golden Week”, the National Day holiday ran from Oct. 1 to 7 and is traditionally one of the country’s busiest annual travel periods.
The tourism market remained hot during the holiday. Sales revenue from tourism, sightseeing and entertainment services rose 23.6 percent from a year earlier, with travel agency services and amusement parks increasing revenues by 26.2 percent and 41.2 percent respectively.
Boosted by tourism spending, demand for accommodation was strong, with revenues at budget chain hotels and homestays up 6.3 percent and 12.8 percent, respectively.
Family gatherings and wedding banquets also boosted catering service revenue by nine percent. Specialty food streets and the night market economy grew by 15.5 percent year on year, while fast food services grew by 30.6 percent year on year. The rapid development of new-style tea drinks drove revenue from beverage and cold drink services up more than twofold.
In the culture, sports and entertainment sector, a richer supply of new business forms and new scenarios helped cultural and art service revenues rise 20.9 percent. Literary and artistic creation and performance revenues grew by 21 percent year on year, while mass cultural and sports revenues increased by 28.3 percent year on year. Sports events drove associated services revenues up by 29.4 percent year on year.
With a pre-holiday allocation of funds for consumer goods trade-in subsidies, a concentrated launch of new digital products, and the demand for household upgrades during the holiday, revenue from household appliances and audio-visual equipment rose 40.1 percent year on year.
Retail sales of daily-use home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines increased by 40.6 percent year on year, while sales of home audio-visual equipment such as televisions rose by 36.6 percent year on year.
Sales of communication equipment, including mobile phones and smart bracelets, jumped by 119.8 percent year on year. Kitchenware and sanitary ware retail sales rose by 52.3 percent.
Revenue from pet care services, gym and fitness activities, and hairdressing and beauty services saw year-on-year sales increases of 80.8 percent, 16.7 percent and 37.1 percent, respectively.
China’s service sector flourishes during National Day holiday
China recorded more than 15.46 million cross-border trips during the week-long National Day holiday, as international travel has continued to rebound and visa-free policies have helped drive inbound tourism, official data released on Thursday showed.
According to the National Immigration Administration, border inspection authorities across the country handled a total of 15.462 million inbound and outbound passenger crossings by Chinese and foreign travelers during the holiday, averaging 2.209 million trips per day. The figure was 6.7 percent higher than that in the same period of last year.
Foreign nationals made 682,000 inbound trips during the holiday, up 5.4 percent year on year. Of these, 505,000 entered under visa-free policies, an increase of 9.2 percent from a year earlier.
Major cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, witnessed busy cross-border passenger flows.
At the Mohan Railway Port in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, nearly 7,000 travelers from 31 countries and regions crossed the border during the holiday. Visa-free foreign travelers accounted for more than 58 percent of inbound passengers there.
In Chengdu City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, international visitors explored attractions such as the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Du Fu Thatched Cottage, sampled local cuisine and experienced traditional cultural activities.
As of October 7, Sichuan border inspection authorities had processed more than 141,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips and 840 flights during the holiday, with passenger traffic up 7.8 percent year on year.
Other parts of the country also saw strong travel and consumption activities. In south China’s Hainan Province, the offshore duty-free market recorded sales of 855 million yuan (about 127 million U.S. dollars) from October 1 to 7. Nearly 700,000 items were sold, while the number of shopping trips reached 123,000, up 10.41 percent year on year.
In Guangzhou City, south China’s Guangdong Province, where the 140th Canton Fair is approaching, ports also recorded heavy passenger flows.
The Guangzhou General Station of Immigration Inspection said its ports handled about 405,000 inbound and outbound traveler trips during the holiday, the highest National Day holiday figure in nearly five years.
“Many businesspeople arrived in Guangzhou ahead of schedule to visit factories and hold business negotiations, bringing a peak in inbound passenger flows at Pazhou Port. We have fully implemented the 16 measures introduced by the Guangzhou General Station of Immigration Inspection to provide services and support for the 140th Canton Fair. We’ve opened special lanes for Canton Fair businesspeople to ensure that travelers and overseas businesspeople can pass through border controls safely, conveniently and efficiently,” said Xiao Yan, an inspection officer at Zhoutouzui Border Inspection Station.
China records 15.46 million cross-border trips during National Day holiday
