Local cities with attractive scenic or cultural sites were the largest beneficiaries of the tourist rush during the week-long Labor Day holiday (May 1-7), according official reports.

A total of 73.77 million local people made out-of-town tours during the holidays, spending 28.8 billion yuan, according official figures.

Beijing, the national capital with a large number of ancient and cultural sites, was undoubtedly one of the major destinations for tourists during the holidays.

Tianjin, a city more than 100 km afar from Beijing, also received more than one million tourists from outside of the city during the period. While 3.35 million of its own residents traveled to other parts of the country.

Northeast China's Liaoning Province received 3.52 million travelers, up 10 percent year-on-year, and earned 1.53 billion yuan. Anshan City, Liaoning, alone made 430 million yuan from tourism during the week-long holiday.

The Shenyang Railway Bureau, headquartered in Shenyang City, the provincial capital of Liaoning Province, transported 5.26 million passengers during the holidays.

In Shanxi Province, in north China, farmers' homes became one of the most attractive sites for urban holiday-goers especially for epicureans who are now turning their interests to farmer's cuisine featuring natural materials and home-made dishes.

The tourist rush brought about fortune to many cities, but some experts fear that the largest number of tourist arrivals may also pose a danger to these ancient and cultural sites.

The Xuankong Temple, in Hunyuan County, Shanxi Province, is being overloaded with the increasing numbers of visitors, the experts warned. They urged the government to take notice of the issue.

(People’s Daily 05/10/2001)