Beijing Cashes in On Winter Olympics Tourism Over CNY Holiday

In addition to the usual Beijing hotspots cashing in on Chinese New Year visitors, the city has also benefited during the 2023 Lunar New Year from visits to Winter Olympic-themed sites, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Tourism and Culture. 

Yanqing District Makes CNY Gains

Of all visits to rural areas in Beijing over the holiday period, Yanqing district proved to be the most popular, with a total of 758,000 visits. 

Why?

The National Sliding Center – part of the Yanqing competition zone during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in which the bobsleigh and skeleton events took place – is likely one reason. It is now open to the public where you can hurtle down an ice track at goodness-knows-what-speed, experiencing “F1 on ice.”

A willing participant is kitted up...

... and launched down the track. Images via Weibo/@北京延庆

If that sounds like your cup of tea, you can book this experience via the Yanqing competition zone WeChat Official Account (scan the QR code below). 

The National Sliding Center is just one of 78 “Winter Olympic Tourist Trails” bringing in visitors from far and wide. 

CNY Tourism in Rural Areas on the Up

Aside from Yanqing, Huairou and Miyun districts pulled in 204,000 and 148,000 visitors over the holiday period, respectively. 

Visits to villages increased by 54.4% year-on-year, and even surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels by 22%. Total visits brought in RMB162.89 million, up by 51% on 2019 levels. 

The Usual Suspects Top The CNY Tourism Table

In what appears to be the norm during public holidays, Wangfujing has once again pulled in more than 1 million visits over Chinese new Year 2023. 

Here’s a list of the top 10 most visited sites: 

1. Wangfujing – 1.43 million 

2. Qianmen Street Scenic Area – 908,000

3. Nanluoguxiang – 400,000

4. New Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) – 379,000

5. SOLANA – 332,000 

6. Old Summer Palace (Yuanming Yuan) – 318,000

7. Le Duo Gang Holiday Plaza (Changping district) – 307,000

8. Temple of Heaven Park – 301,000 

9. Beijing Initiate Outlets (Fangshan district) – 299,000 

10. Shine Hills Shopping Center – 225,000 
    

Overall, Beijing saw a total of 7.12 million visits to tourist and cultural spots during the Chinese New Year holiday, bringing a total revenue of RMB7.46 billion – representing 88% and 91% of 2019 figures, respectively.

READ MORE: Trips Abroad Up 640% Over Chinese New Year

[Cover image via Weibo@张力峰Kevin]