◀ anchor ▶
In China these days, major tourist destinations are crowded with people.
This is because travel demand, which had been restricted to prevent the spread of COVID-19, is exploding as movement between cities is allowed.
It is a policy to save domestic demand, which has been hit directly by the zero-corona policy, and as a result, the corona is spreading once more.
This is Beijing Correspondent Jo Hee-hyeong.
◀ Report ▶
Dooku Road, which runs north and south in Xinjiang, China.
I can’t see the end of the car procession on the two-lane road along the hillside.
It took only 8 hours to travel 100km on a clogged road.
These are people who want to enjoy a summer vacation in Xinjiang, where it is cool even in midsummer and the natural environment such as meadows and lakes is beautiful.
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“It was my wish to go to Xinjiang in the south. I am excited to see the desert and various forests.”
As the number of tourists flocked to the point where it is said that there are more people than sheep in the grassland, accommodation rates soared.
It’s not just here.
An exotic destination with many ethnic minorities, Yunnan’s railway station is bustling with tourists, while the western Gansu desert is full of sand sledding travelers.
The number of daily air passengers dropped to the level of 400,000 in May, but surpassed 1 million this month.
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“From the beginning of July, the number of people looking for families, students who want to spend summer vacation, or tourists visiting tourist spots has increased tremendously.”
The reason why domestic tourism in China has soared is that travel restrictions have been relaxed since the end of last month.
In the meantime, if there is even one confirmed person in the city where you live, an asterisk will appear on the transfer code, making it virtually impossible to go to another city.
However, when the Chinese authorities removed the star sign to revive the domestic market, the suppressed travel demand exploded.
However, as COVID-19 spreads throughout China as much as free travel has spread, the southern resort town of Beihai has been locked down due to a surge in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 2,000 tourists have been stranded.
China, hit hard by the Shanghai lockdown, grew only 0.4% in the second quarter.
This is the biggest reason that China has taken steps to revive domestic demand by loosening travel restrictions and issuing consumption coupons.
This is Jo Hee-hyeong from MBC News in Beijing.
Video coverage: Zhang Bao Xen (Beijing) / Video editing: Farewell (Beijing) · Nam Eun-ju
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