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(China) – Figures released by the Data Centre of the National Tourism Administration department indicates tourist numbers rose to 385 million during the Spring Festival holiday.

Generating revenue of RMB475bn yuan, the figures represent a year-on-year growth of visitors by 12.1% and in terms revenue, a year-on-year growth of 12.6%.

Spending on entertainment, represented by amusement parks, increased by 47% from last year, while spending on culture and art, represented by film, increased by 57%; while the five cities with the highest entertainment spending were Beijing, Zhengzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Tianjin.

Traditional scenic spots are also still popular in the country with new tourism products and businesses such as countryside inn, leisure blocks, and distinctive towns increasingly being added into the market. The figures also showed that self-driving tours, which now account for almost 50% of the tourism market, have become the main way Chinese families travel.

In terms of ‘where’ families are spending their leisure time, the figures revealed a large number of people travel to northern China for fun in the ice and snow, with snowfields in northeast and northern China receiving an increase of 10% in visitor numbers. And with an increased interest in tourism, so has the quality of the tourism products available.