Labor Day holiday brings Shanxi 15.34m tourists

North China's Shanxi province received 15.34 million tourists during the three-day Labor Day holiday from May 1 to 3, with total income of 6.97 billion yuan ($1.12 billion), 14.63 percent higher than the same holiday in last year.

Among all the province's tourist attractions, the 5A-level scenic spots and the three World heritage spots remain the most popular.

During the three days, 151,300 tourists traveled to Mount Wutai and spent 10.75 million yuan.The Yungang Grottoes, another World Heritage site in Shanxi, has achieved ticket income of 5.1 million yuan, with 62,100 tourists swarmed into this attraction. 321,700 tourists flooded in the Ancient City of Pingyao and brought the ancient city ticket income of 5.86 million yuan.

About 70 percent of the Shanxi tourists prefer travel destinations that are about 200 to 300 kilometers away from their homes, and tend to travel without tour guides.

The popularization of smart phones gives tourism a new edge. More and more tourists arrange their travel schedules on travel websites and their mobile clients.

According to a survey carried out by an online travel agency, about 50 percent of the tourists booked tourism products by cell phones this Labor Day holiday, especially for short-distance routes.