Tomb-sweeping Holiday to See Soaring On-site Trips

Visitors wearing masks climb the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing, on March 24, 2020. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/chinadaily.com.cn]

BEIJING -- China's three-day tomb-sweeping holiday will see soaring on-site trips as the coronavirus outbreak leveled off across the country, an industry report said Wednesday.

Data from Alibaba's tourism platform Fliggy.com showed that from March 17 to March 23, bookings for railway and tourist site tickets during the tomb-sweeping holiday more than doubled from the previous week, and hotel bookings jumped by 30 percent on a monthly basis.

Chinese health authorities said Wednesday the mainland reported no new domestically transmitted cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Tuesday, a good sign to encourage tourists to brace for on-site traveling.

About 3,700 A-level tourist attractions have opened to the public, the report said.

Of the top 10 hot cities for the tomb-sweeping holiday on Fliggy.com, nine were also among the most popular destinations of cloud tourism, which ranked in the top 10 activities of quarantined youth over concerns about contagion risks.

The Shanghai-based Haichang Ocean Park placed first among national popular tourist sites, hosting 13 livestreaming in March, raking in more than 150,000 views.

Tomb-sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival, falls on April 4 this year, and is a traditional Chinese holiday when people pay tribute to deceased family and friends. Many also spend the three-day holiday traveling.