Officials pitch in to make getaway break a breeze

As travel across China picked up momentum during the May Day holiday, local governments ensured that visitors enjoyed all the comforts and conveniences of modern tourism, including more parking spaces and volunteer services.

In several counties, such as Pingyao in Shanxi province and Shexian in Anhui province, parking lots in government buildings were opened to the public, while in places such as Zibo in Shandong province, civil servants volunteered to ensure holidaymakers had happy and memorable experiences.

Rich in cultural relics and home to Huizhou ancient city, Shexian saw a huge influx of tourists during the five-day break. On Tuesday alone, the county, which is governed by Huangshan city, received over 34,000 tourists, more than six times the number recorded during the May Day holiday in 2019, according to county head Wang Qiyong.

Shexian offered free parking at 22 government buildings from Monday through Wednesday. Moreover, the county information office offered real-time updates on vacant parking spaces on multiple social media platforms to help visitors find convenient spots.

In Anhui province, Shuidong township in Xuancheng city received more than 50,000 visitors between Saturday and Tuesday.

"Anticipating a huge influx of tourists, we had enlisted 220 volunteers from among township officials and village cadres," said Chen Zhangxue, Party chief of Shuidong, adding that these volunteers primarily helped visitors seeking information about attractions and amenities and motorists looking for parking spots.

In Shandong's Zibo city, a number of civil servants volunteered during the holiday. The city, famous for its barbecue, has been trending on social media for more than two months.

"Police officers have been patrolling the streets and officials from the market supervision bureau monitoring food quality to rule out health risks," said Fu Qiang, who runs a restaurant in Zibo.

A handful of cities in the country issued warnings ahead of the holiday regulating market prices for catering and accommodation.

Hotel operators in Zibo will be investigated and punished if increases in room prices during the holiday surpass 50 percent of the average price in March, according to a notice released ahead of the holiday by the city's development and reform commission, and the market regulation administration.

Popular tourist cities like Changsha in Hunan province and Quanzhou in Fujian province also required transparent pricing during the holiday.