(Yicai Global) Jan. 20 -- Tourist hotspots around China have begun offering free or discounted tickets to boost visitor numbers during the seven-day Lunar New Year holiday.

More than 40 scenic spots in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, around 375 in Guizhou province, over 50 in Fujian province, the Potala Palace in Tibet, and 52 tourist attractions in Luoyang, Henan province, are handing out tickets free of charge, with several in Shanghai cutting entry prices by 20 percent. Some places plan to keep the offer going through February and March.

Travel in China will peak around the Jan. 21 to 27 break following the country’s lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, with the number of cross-provincial trips jumping more than 50 percent from the Spring Festival holiday last year, according to data from travel service agency Spring Tour. The top five domestic destinations are Shanghai, Changbaishan, Sanya, Xiamen, and Chengdu, while overseas trips are stabilizing.

The tourism sector is picking up after three years of stagnation, said Guo Lechun, vice president of the big data research institute at online travel agency Qunar.Com. As the first industry to recover in China after the pandemic, tourism is driving the recovery of local consumption, Guo added. 

Long-distance travel benefits a local economy’s recovery because each extra night a tourist stays at a location means more spending on local food, drink, transport, and entertainment, Guo noted. The rebound around the Lunar New Year holiday is a good start, and Qunar is confident that the tourism sector can recover to pre-epidemic levels this summer, Guo said.

Hotel prices in popular tourist cities in China have jumped recently, with the average cost of a room at high-end hotels in Yunnan province’s Dali and Xishuangbanna jumping to about CNY1,000 (USD147) a night, Qunar’s data showed. Changbai Mountain, a ski resort in Jilin province, saw ihas seen rates increase to about CNY2,200 a night, with those in Hainan province’s Wanning and Sanya climbing to over CNY2,000.

Editor: Martin Kadiev