Golden Week statistics released

According
to figures released by the national government, a total of 89.9 million people traveled
throughout China during the National Day vacation, 11.5% more than the previous year. The
vacation lasted from October 1 to October 7. It was the highest number of travelers since
the first ¡°golden week¡± in 2000.

The total amount spent over the holiday
exceeded 34.6 billion yuan (US$4.2 billion). The average per capita spending for the period
was 384 yuan. Tourist arrivals from other countries were up 11.5%.

It was
the first golden week vacation since this year’s May Day golden week was cancelled
because of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic.