SHANGHAI recorded 8.83 million visits during the eight-day National Day holiday with countryside, cultural and ancient town tourism proving popular, officials said yesterday.

That was 75 percent of the figure of the same period last year, according to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism. The city took in 13.5 billion yuan (US$1.99 billion) in tourism revenue during the holiday, 80 percent of last year’s total, it said.

Shanghai residents were enthusiastic about spending time in the city while people from the Yangtze River Delta region accounted for the majority of tourists in the city over the eight days.

New tourism itineraries involving countryside, culture, parents and children and ancient towns in the suburbs gained in popularity, the administration said.

Scenic spots onChongmingIsland recorded a combined 450,500 visits during the holiday, surging 166 percent from the same period last year, and the Shanghai International Resort in Pudong had 710,000 visits, up 52.5 percent.

“I used to think that the city was familiar to me, but when I started searching for some fun places to spend the holiday, I found it was not that familiar as I imagined,” said WuYu, a Shanghai resident in her 30s.

“I visited the newly openedGuangfulinArchaeological Site Exhibition Hall and theQingxiCountryside Park with my husband, and they were both surprising fun journeys,” she said.

Ancient towns, such asZhujiajiao, Fengjing, Xinchang and Qibao, were favorite destinations for residents and tourists, the administration said.

Minsu(B&Bs) in the city werealmost fully booked, and countryside parks in the city received a combined 450,000 visits during the holiday, surging 128 percent from the same period last year, it said.

Between October 1 and 7, the occupancy rate of hotels in the city hit 66 percent, a growth of 16 percent over last year.

TheBundandLujiazuirecorded 1.67 million and 1.48 million visits, respectively, 79 percent and 85 percent of last year’s figures.

ChenshanBotanical Garden had 118,700, up 15 percent;HaichangOcean Park 160,400, 76 percent of last year’s.

“The tourism industry is warming up again,” said Wang Lei, a staff member at ShanghaiHaichangOcean Park.

Before the holiday, the 50 percent restriction on visitor numbers at A-level tourist attractions in China was eased to 75 percent, and Wang said that had boosted recovery of the tourism industry. The park had extended its hours during the holiday, which ended yesterday.

A total of 100 museums across the city recorded 754,000 visits, up 3.28 percent from the same period last year, while theaters staged 569 performances, up 56 percent and attracting 315,000 visits, 96 percent of last year’s figure.

Eight red tourism attractions in the city, which features visits to sites with significance of revolutionary history, recorded a combined 172,500 visits, growing 24 percent from last year.

The city tour and leisure tourism market is recovering rapidly and night tourism offers byChenshanBotanical Garden, Shanghai Wild Animal Park, Shanghai Happy Valley and cultural venues like MOCA Shanghai and Aurora Museum had enriched the experiences for both residents and tourists.

Anhui, Jiangsu,Zhejiang,HenanandGuangdongprovinces accounted for the largest percentage of tourists in Shanghai.