CRI听力:China's tourism market to boom during Spring Festival: authorities

Chinese authorities are anticipating a significant boost to the national tourism sector during this year's Spring Festival holiday.

A new survey suggests that 83% of the people in China are willing to travel through the first quarter of the year, with just under half of them choosing to travel during the Spring Festival holiday, which begins on February 16th.

More than 380 million domestic tourism trips are expected to be made in the country during this year's holiday, a rise of around 12% year on year.

That is expected to generate revenue of 476 billion yuan, or some 75 billion U.S. dollars.

Wang Xiaofeng, deputy director of China National Tourism Administration, says more people will be travelling to the northern and southern parts of the country this holiday.

"Tourists living in the north want to travel south for the warmer weather, while those in the south are likely to travel north for the snow. Stats show that two in every three tourists will choose to make domestic mid-or-long distance trips. The cities of Sanya in the south and Harbin in the north are the two top destinations for domestic travelers, as they are willing to enjoy either the island tour or the ice and snow," says Wang.

Tourism officials estimate around 53% of travellers are going to organize their own trip, rather than through tour companies.

At the same time, a variety of cultural activities will be taking place during the Spring Festival holiday period.

Art troupes are being sent out to different parts of the country for performances, while cultural organizations are being tasked with increasing their services.

More traditional events, such as temple fairs and flower exhibitions, are also expected to be big draws this year.

Chinese vice Minister of Culture Yang Zhijin says this year's Spring Festival is also going to be a global affair.

"This year we already have agreements to work with famous art agencies abroad such as the Kennedy and Lincoln Centers. We also have plans to tie in to other ongoing events in other places, such as Australia's National Multicultural Festival. We're also creating a number of interactive cultural activities in local schools and communities in other parts of the world to try to promote Chinese culture and customs," says Yang.

This year's Spring Festival celebration is expected to include cultural exchange events in over 400 cities across more than 130 countries and regions, including 53 countries and regions which are part of the Belt and Road Initiative.