SHANGHAI’S tourism market witnessed a strong rebound as people thronged scenic spots across the city during the first three days of the Labor Day holiday, thanks to pleasant weather and the many activities on offer, cultural and tourism authorities said.

The city recorded 10.3 million tourist visits between Saturday and yesterday, and the averagehotel occupancyrate was 73 percent, up 48 percent and 13 percent from 2020 and 2019 respectively, according to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism.

The city’s 170 major tourist sites attracted 4.66 million visitors over the three days, surging 166 percent over the same period last year when the country was battling the pandemic. It was 6 percent up from 2019.

TheBund, YuyuanGarden andLujiazuiscenic areas had 1.41 million, 561,800 and 926,500 visits, up 261, 573 and 171 percent, respectively, from the same period last year.

About 3.37 million visits were recorded along 45 kilometers of the Huangpu River waterfront, while the Huangpu River cruise tours witnessed 73,800 visits over the three days.

“Red” tourism sites were popular during the holiday as this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

The city’s eight “red” tourism sites saw 45,600 visits during the first three days of the holiday.

Several activities were hosted at the “five new cities,” a new highlight of the city’s tourism market, the bureau said.

InQingpuDistrict, night tours were held at theZhujiajiaowatertown, inviting visitors to appreciate light shows, savor tea, enjoypingtan (storytelling) performances and take a cruise.

HaichangOcean Park in the Lingang area hosted fireworks displays along with laser shows and unmanned aerial vehicle performances.

Fifty-one art galleries in the city had a total of 61,700 visits, up 166 percent.

Eighty-six museums hosted 39 exhibitions and attracted a combined 324,800 visits, a rise of 428 percent.

Meanwhile, there has been a significant increase in railway passengers in the Yangtze River Delta region, China Railway Shanghai Group said yesterday.

A total of 12.458 million rail trips have been recorded in the region between April 29, when the holiday travel rush began, and Sunday, with a daily average of 3.115 million, surging 135.6 percent from last year.

A daily high was set on May 1 — 3.65 million — surpassing the daily high of the Spring Festival travel rush, the busiest railway travel period of the year.

Beijing-Shanghai, Shanghai-Nanjing, Shanghai-Hangzhou, Hangzhou-Huangshan, Hefei-Fuzhou, Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong and Xuzhou-Lianyungang have been some of the most popular routes during the holiday, according to the railway group.About 2.85 million trips were expected to be made yesterday in the region, and an additional 96 trains will be in operation.

A Shanghai tourist surnamed Zhang took a high-speed train from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to Qinhuangdao Railway Station in north China’s Hebei Province on the first day of the holiday.

He was among the 100 tourists in a tour group organized by Shanghai Spring Tour, a local travel agency.

“I planned to visit Hebei early this year, but it was canceled due to COVID-19,” Zhang said. “Now the situation is stable, so I decided to go with my friends over the May Day holiday to avoid the coming summer vacation travel peak.”

His stops include the Chengde Mountain Resort, Bashang Grassland and Beidaihe, a coastal resort.

This year about 1,000 tourists from the delta region will travel to Hebei in groups organized by Spring Tour.