Wudang welcomes Spring Festival travel rush

By Han Shuya ( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2013-02-27

The Wudang Mountains received 128,700 tourists during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday in 2013, an increase of 17.8 percent from the same period last year. Tourism revenue reached 809 million yuan, an increase of 18 percent from the same period last year.

Visitors on Feb 14 totaled over 30,000, breaking the record for daily visitors. The combination of a proper marketing strategy, free expressways and magnificent winter scenery made Wudang an ideal place to visit.

The Wudang Mountains has made great achievements in both brand promotion and market expansion thanks to continuous efforts in marketing. The 2012 memorial ceremony 600 Year Anniversary of Wudang Development was especially helpful. As a result, Spring Festival tourists from Hubei and Henan provinces as well as further provinces like Guangdong and Fujian came to visit Wudang.

This was the first year expressway tolls were waived during Spring Festival. The number of drivers arriving in Wudang increased sharply in spite of the snowy weather. According to incomplete statistics, over 20,000 cars drove to Wudang from Feb 10 to 15, crowding the parking lot in the visitor center. Various activities were also held in the scenic spot, such as tea tasting at Baxian Guan.

The newly developed zone at the foot of the mountains was no less boisterous. Xuyu Palace, newly renovated in 2012; Yuzhen Palace, the highest elevation palace in the world; and the Taichi Lake zone also attracted local and foreign visitors.