Event tourism boom boosts citywide consumption

By Yan Wanqin and Lai Siyao, Yichang International Communication Studio

Nowadays, traveling for a concert or show has become a new trend. Many fans are willing to go to a city just to watch a performance, boosting local tourism and consumption.

Yichang will hold eight large and medium-sized music festivals and concerts this summer. Over the past few days, as summer vacation aligned with new event tourism opportunities, the city's hotels and restaurants have entered their peak season. Many local hotels' occupancy rates have reached more than 85 percent.

On the morning of July 27, people were coming and going in the lobby of the Ramada Yichang Hotel.

"When I heard that the Romantic Show of Sanxia had been staged, I came to Yichang with my children so that they could gain a deeper understanding of the history of the Three Gorges through the show," said Mr. Chen, a tourist from Beijing.

Yan Guiqin, general manager of the hotel, was introducing the tourist routes to the guests. Yan said the hotel's occupancy rate is currently 80 percent, and frequently reaches around 85 percent on weekends. As large and medium-sized music festivals and concerts continue to be held in Yichang, the hotel industry is expected to see several peaks in occupancy.

During concerts, room rates remain between 300 yuan (US$41.30) and 400 yuan per night. Meanwhile, the hotel offers gifts such as portable fans and fruit to each guest.

Yiling Hotel has also benefited.

General manager of the hotel Xiang Daoping said that since the summer began, occupancy rates have remained steady around 60 percent, with weekend occupancy rates reaching more than 85 percent. The family rooms and standard rooms are full every day. When there is a concert, ticket holders can get an instant 20-yuan discount when checking in and a 12 percent discount on food and beverages.

Summer is full of performing arts, and Yichang's special delicacies seize the opportunities.

At 7 pm on July 27, diners were waiting for a table outside Tribe of Bachu in Binjiang Park. Inside the restaurant, the lobby was filled. Milk soup fatty fish, pine mushroom hot pot, cold shrimp jelly and other specialties are popular among diners.

"You have to wait for a table practically every night. The table turnover rate has reached 50 percent," said Han Qingfeng, general manager of the company that operates the restaurant. 

Since the summer vacation, the number of out-of-town tourists has increased significantly and the number of customers in the restaurant has increased by more than 20 percent, he added. Yichang was awarded the title of "Landmark City of Yangtze River Catfish Delicacies,” with many tourists coming to taste Yichang’s famous fatty fish and other delicacies.

In Zijiren restaurant, famous for its fatty fish dishes, the first floor is already filled with customers. The restaurant's signature dishes such as stewed fish with doubanjiang and Yichang fatty fish are very popular with customers.

"I found this restaurant online, and the taste did not disappoint," said Mr. Wang, a tourist from Henan who came to Yichang with his family.

Zou Xueyun, manager of the restaurant, said that many tourists come to Yichang with children to visit the Three Gorges. Now tasting Yichang cuisine has become an indispensable part of the tour. The restaurant was full almost every night, and there were often long lines of diners waiting for a table.

To preserve Yichang's reputation among visitors, a number of hotels in the city promised to clearly mark and maintain prices, despite rising popularity.