The coastal city of Yantai in East China's Shandong province received about 5.5 million tourists during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday on Oct 1-8, an increase of 14 percent on last year, local media reported.

The glut of visitors helped the city's tourism industry generate revenues of 6.37 billion yuan ($965 million), up 15.7 percent on last year's holiday.

The 53 special tourist products and activities offered by Yantai tourist operators during the holiday contributed to the rise in revenue.

More than 30 tourist sites in the city offered a discount ranging from 15 to 70 percent to college students.

Tourist service centers also set up tourist buses running from college campuses to popular attractions around the city to allow more students to enjoy their time off.

Popular scenic spots in Yantai, such as the Nanshan Scenic Area in Longkou, and Mou's Manor, the former residence of a rich landlord in Qixia, also launched interesting activities to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and attract tourists.

Performers dressed in exquisite Tang Dynasty (618-907) pose for a photo at Nanshan Scenic Area in Longkou in Yantai, Shandong province. The tourist site launched a series of special cultural activities featuring actors in costume during the "Golden Week" holiday to attract more tourists. [Photo/WeChat account: yantaifabu]

Rural tourism was also a popular choice for many travelers this year, with many taking part in activities such as fruit picking and angling in countryside resorts across Yantai.

As autumn is the harvest season for apples, grapes, pears, jujube dates and kiwi fruit, many fruit-picking bases in the city launched fruit-picking activities and cultural performances to woo tourists.

To avoid irregularities in the tourism industry and ensure a good tourism environment, the Yantai tourism authorities issued a circular ahead of the "Golden Week" holiday.

The circular required tourist sites to take strict safety measures and make contingency plans in case of emergencies.

Thanks to the efforts of relevant departments, there were no reports of serious accidents or complaints concerning tourist services during the holiday.