OVER 28 percent of tourists from outside Guangdong visited Shenzhen during the Spring Festival holiday, making the city the most popular destination for holiday trips in the province, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported yesterday.

    Data from the Guangdong Tourism Administration showed that over 42 million tourists visited Guangdong during the Spring Festival, 10.23 percent higher than the same period last year. The surge of holiday visits has driven up the province’s tourist income by 14.3 percent over the same period last year, with the revenue totaling up to 31.54 billion yuan (US$4.84 billion).

    According to a report released by the China Tourism Academy and Ctrip.com, Guangdong is the third most-visited province nationwide for holiday trips during the Spring Festival.

    Shenzhen has received most visitors from outside Guangdong, with 28.48 percent of visitors choosing Shenzhen as their destinations for holiday trips in the province.

    Guangzhou was the second most-visited city in the province, with about 24.97 percent of visitors from outside Guangdong visiting Guangzhou during the holiday.

    The report also revealed that most tourists who visited Guangdong during the holiday were from nearby provinces, with 60.49 percent of them traveling by high-speed rail. Over 26.2 percent of tourists were from Hong Kong.

    Coastal tours, hot springs and flower festivals were popular among visitors to Guangdong. The number of visitors to coastal resorts in Jiangmen City climbed by 10 percent during the Spring Festival over last year, while more than 300,000 people visited islands in the Nan’ao eco-tourism area during the holiday.

    According to the administration, most tourists from Guangdong went to nearby provinces by high-speed rail or by driving. Over 82.5 percent of outbound travelers from Guangdong chose countries in Asia for their trips, while Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan were the three most popular destinations.

    The number of visitors using phone apps or websites to book tickets and hotels for holiday trips is climbing. Statistics show that 60 tourist complaints were reported during the holiday in the province.

    (Zhang Awing)