China

Influx of Expo visitors invigorates Shanghai

By Gao Changxin (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-10 13:08

SHANGHAI - The vast influx of visitors for the Expo 2010 Shanghai since its May 1 opening have greatly improved the fortunes of the city's tourist attractions.

The landmark Oriental Pearl, a 486-meter broadcast tower in the city's Pudong district alone witnessed a daily passenger flow of nearly 30,000 people in July - a 50 percent rise over the same period last year.

"Our business has surged because of the Expo, and now it's normal for visitors to wait two hours before entering the tower," said a staff member, surnamed Yu, with the attraction's sales department.

Yu added that more than 70 percent of visitors were in tour groups that came to the city exclusively for the Expo.

"I came here to see the Expo Garden, but now that I am already here I might as well take a round of the city," said Cheng Qing, a 26-year-old from southeastern Fujian province who was waiting at the foot of the tower on Monday afternoon.

Water sprays and beach umbrellas were set up that day to cool off more than a hundred visitors waiting in line.

Nanshian Dumpling House, one of the city's most famous dumpling restaurants in Cheng Huang temple, Huangpu district, similarly recorded more than a 60 percent increase year-on-year in its turnover in each of the past three months.

Its monthly turnover, meanwhile, reached 7 million in July, up from 5 million in May and 6 million in June, according to Wang Jianguo with the Shanghai Old-Town Temple Restaurant Group, the parent company of the restaurant.

"The sales increase is mainly due to the Expo and most of the customers are visitors from other parts of the country," noted Wang.

Managers of the Shanghai Jingjiang Travel and Shanghai Airlines Travel said that most of its Expo visitors to Shanghai choose to take a look at the city's tourist attractions at night during their travel.

Some visitors have even visited nearby cities, too, including Suzhou, Wuxi and Hangzhou, said the agencies.

China Daily