International Online News: At today’s routine press conference held by the Ministry of Commerce, spokesperson Shen Danyang, when mentioning the recently controversial proposal to “abolish Golden Week,” pointed out that one should not view Golden Week solely from the perspective of consumption. Over the many years Golden Week has been in place, its contribution to consumption growth has been quite significant.
Shortly after Golden Week ended, some argued that the National Day Golden Week merely concentrates national consumption within that one week and does not actually help boost overall annual tourism consumption. Meanwhile, trade and manufacturing were also somewhat affected during Golden Week—raising the question of whether it could be abolished.
In response, Shen Danyang stated that one should not view Golden Week solely from the angle of consumption. Not to mention whether consumption is merely shifted from other times to Golden Week, simply regarding Golden Week as being established to promote consumption and then abolishing it would, he believes, draw widespread public criticism. As these matters are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Commerce, we still need to carefully analyze what contribution this seven-day Golden Week actually makes to consumption. Over the many years Golden Week has been implemented, its contribution to consumption growth has been quite important. Golden Week was not established for the first time this year.