Tourism surges despite cold during New Year’s holiday
Despite a sharp drop in temperature, clear weather led to strong travel willingness among both tourists and locals during the three-day New Year’s holiday. The city welcomed a total of 1.62 million visitors, a 20.1% increase over the same period last year, with total tourism revenue reaching 772 million yuan, up 21.4% year-on-year. A variety of newly launched festive events and diverse winter activities became major draws for visitors.
New festive events held
On the last winter night of 2011, the 2012 Beijing New Year’s Countdown Ceremony and Beijing Tourism Promotion Event were held at Temple of Heaven Park, where a large-scale 3D video light show was staged for the first time at midnight on the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Beijing Party Secretary Liu Qi, Mayor Guo Jinlong, and crowds of residents and tourists from home and abroad welcomed the new year together as the countdown began. On January 1, the Tiananmen Rostrum viewing stand opened to the public for the first time, with 5,000 visitors watching the first flag-raising ceremony of the year on-site. According to officials from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development and Tiananmen Management Committee, the viewing stand will be regularly open to the public on the first of each month going forward, though currently only group reservations from schools, communities, and tour groups are accepted.
Districts compete with unique events
During the holiday, various districts across the city launched colorful festive activities. Beijing Happy Valley’s Ice and Snow Festival in Chaoyang District combined daytime and nighttime sessions to meet citizens’ desires for both fun and sightseeing; the fifth Blue Harbor Light Festival, leveraging the area’s distinctive Mediterranean-style architecture and landscaping, created a massive 130,000-square-meter light show. Haidian District’s Yuyuantan Snow Park added snow animal viewing experiences. Meanwhile, with support from the Xicheng District Tourism Bureau, the Shichahai Warm Winter Experience Tour kicked off on New Year’s Day, allowing visitors to sip coffee, ride in traditional Beijing rickshaws, and stroll through hutongs while listening to drivers share tales of old Beijing.
Suburban tourism remains popular