Tourist attractions adopting crowd control measures for holiday

Eighty percent of the country's A-class tourist attractions will be open as usual during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday, a senior official of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Wednesday.

Hou Zhengang, an official from the ministry's market management department, said at a news conference in addition to the seasonal closure of tourist attractions in some areas in the north of the country, as well as those under strict epidemic prevention and control requirements, 80 percent of the country's A-class tourist attractions will operate normally to meet the public's needs during the holiday.

At the same time, all A-class tourist attractions will limit tickets sold daily, ask for reservations and encourage staggered visits to avoid mass gatherings, he said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of people across the country will stay in their cities of work instead of traveling back home for the Spring Festival holiday, which starts on Thursday.

Hou said to meet people's needs for leisure during the festival while maintaining epidemic control and prevention, the ministry has made efforts to provide high-quality services.

It has cooperated with China National Arts Fund, the National Peking Opera Company and other cultural and media platforms to launch a number of online services. The China National Arts Fund will broadcast 20 outstanding stage works, and the National Ballet of China will livestream their performances.

The ministry also encouraged localities to promote tourism services, including urban tours, suburban tours, rural tours, road trips and festival-themed tours and organize local cultural activities in an orderly fashion.

The ministry also urged culture and tourism departments at all levels to strictly implement prevention and control measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus through cultural and tourism activities, and carry out in-depth investigation to root out safety hazards during the holiday.