Majority of destinations welcome back visitors

Jiajiazhuang is known for a variety of food among tourists. [Photo by Wu Liuhong for China Daily]

Under the warm sunshine of a winter day, the Taoqing Wetland Park in the southeastern Shanxi city of Changzhi welcomed flocks of migratory birds and groups of sightseeing tourists and photographers.

It is one of the tourist destinations in Shanxi which recently opened to the public after the State and provincial authorities released new measures to optimize the COVID-19 response in late November.

This is also the case in the Salt Lake scenic area in Yuncheng, where the "blooming salt flowers" — various forms of salt crystal — are attracting more tourists, and in Taiyuan's food street, which is welcoming back diners.

The Shanxi Department of Culture and Tourism said a total of 168 tourist destinations have reopened to date, accounting for 61.8 percent of Shanxi's total.

To attract more visitors, 14 destinations in Shanxi, including the Grand Courtyard of Qiao's Family in Jinzhong, the Mianshan Mountain in Jiexiu and the Zhangbi Ancient Castle in the same city, are offering tourists with free entrance or discounted fees.

More residents in Shanxi are planning for long-distance trips. Local online ticket-selling platforms show that the number of searches for railway and airline tickets recently reached record highs in the three years since the COVID-19 outbreak at the end of 2019.

Fan Xiaofeng, a resident in the Shanxi provincial capital of Taiyuan, said: "I have been planning for a long-distance trip for a long time and it is the right time to go."

He plans to take a self-driving trip along the Yellow River with his friends.

When talking about the remaining 38.2 percent of destinations whose operations are suspended, Chen Shaoqing, deputy chief of the Shanxi Department of Culture and Tourism, explained that "they are shut down not for the reason of pandemic control".

"Thirty-two destinations are closed because they are in conditions not suitable for operations in winter, while the other 43 are in the process of renovation," Chen said.

The official said there will be a great number of promotional events during New Year and Spring Festival in destinations across Shanxi. The events will include winter sports activities in ski resorts, Spring Festival folk shows throughout the province, and culinary festivals.

Zhang Ting contributed to this story.