Suzhou saw robust cultural and tourism consumption during the just-concluded Qingming Festival holiday. Official data shows that as of 8:00 p.m. on April 6, the city received a total of 7.462 million tourists, increasing by 31.3% compared with the same period last year (similarly hereinafter). The 59 A-level scenic spots attracted 4.596 million tourists, an increase of 41.9%, and the 17 key cultural and museum venues received 199,000 visitors, up by 22.6%.
During the three-day holiday, the city organized a rich variety of themed activities to boost cultural and tourism consumption. Major scenic spots and business districts saw large crowds of visitors. Pingjiang Road and Shantang Street received 545,000 and 251,000 visits, respectively. And the Guanqian business district and the Shilu business district welcomed 300,000 and 470,000 visits, respectively.
Diverse activities held in county-level cities (districts) in Suzhou also injected momentum into the city’s cultural tourism consumption during the holiday. Take Kunshan City as an example. Zhouzhuang Ancient Town offered half-price tickets, the Kunshan Chinese Opera Museum held an “opera + coffee” fair to captivate the interest of visitors, and Bacheng Old Street, one of the shooting locations for the recent hit TV series “Northward”, also exploded in popularity.
In addition, blooming spring flowers across the city also drew massive number of tourists. The Huqiu Flower Festival introduced themed activities, such as Flower Market and Flower Parade to immerse visitors with spring blossoms. People who went to the Lotus Pond Moonlight Wetland Park in Suzhou’s Xiangcheng District could not only stroll in the golden sea of rape flowers but also participate in various activities such as concerts and sports games. Flower enthusiasts also flocked to the azalea festival of the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the camellia exhibition of the Lingering Garden, and the cherry blossom festival in Wuzhong District’s Guangfu Temple.
Immersive tourism has become a prominent trend and cultural tourism projects that are highly experiential and interactive have become increasingly popular. During the Qingming Festival holiday, the newly-opened immersive sci-fi experience hall in Xiangcheng District, which is themed on the “The Three-Body Problem” trilogy, drew countless visitors. The Tiger Hill Scenic Area launched the “Meet Tang Yin” immersive activity and received nearly 30,000 tourists per day.
