CRI听力：Chinese tourism revives during spring festival

Reporter:
In Xi'an, the capital city of West China's Shaan'xi Province, the overseas tourism market is prospering thanks to the global economic downturn which has slashed the costs of visiting some western countries.

Huang Tingxuan is the branch manager of Xi'an's Overseas Tourist Company.

"In our agency, a 10-day trip to European countries cost 13,500 to 14,000 yuan last year, but this year the same trip only costs less than 10,000 yuan. Many people have booked this route. "

In Qingdao of East China's Shangdong Province, many travel agencies hold the same opinion and are recommending travelers to visit Australia and European countries.

Xu Yan is the manager of a local travel agency.

"The euro and the Australian dollar have depreciated to some extent, so it's a good choice to visit Australia and Europe at this time. Meanwhile, the price for this year's golden week is much lower than that of previous years."

As the political and economic turmoil has reduced travel costs for some Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, more people are casting their eyes on countries like Japan and the Philippines.

The domestic tourism market is also winning over more travelers.

Huang Tingxuan says that people who have not booked overseas trips during the Spring Festival holiday have set their sites on destinations in China, raising tourist prices in some popular resorts such as southern China's Hainan and Guilin.

"This year, the price for a Hainan trip has increased by 2,000 yuan, but many tourists are still booking this route for their Spring Festival."

In northern China's Heilongjiang Province, thousands of people are opting for ski vacations during the Spring Festival. (www.hxen.net)

Here is a visitor at Yabuli Ski Field, the largest skiing center in Asia.

"Today is a sunny day, and I believe an old Chinese that a good winter brings a good summer, so I bring my family to ski here and wish everyone well in 2009."

Until now, 80 percent of the hotel rooms around the Yabuli ski field have been booked. Hotel staff here hope to see the number of visitors increase by 30 percent from January 28th to the 30th.

Zhang Cheng, CRI News.