Shanghai Draws 7.12m Tourist Visits over Dragon Boat Festival Holiday

Shanghai recorded 7.12 million tourist visits during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, up 9.86 percent year-on-year.

Tourism spending reached an estimated 12.58 billion yuan ($1.86 billion), an increase of 5.1 percent from a year earlier. The city's hotels and guesthouses reported an average room occupancy rate of 60.80 percent, up 1.6 percentage points year-on-year.

Festival traditions across the city

​Dragon boat teams compete in Songjiang district during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. [Photo/Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism]

Folk customs and intangible cultural heritage activities were held across all Shanghai's 16 districts.

Dragon boat races took place in Sijing Ancient Town in Songjiang district and along waterways in Qingpu district. In Xuhui district, a family-oriented water sports event combined dragon boat racing with kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding.

Visitors also participated in a variety of hands-on cultural activities. Shanghai Great World hosted workshops on wrapping zongzi, or glutinous rice dumplings, and crafting scented sachets. Workshops in Jinshan district featured printmaking, farmers' painting, and tie-dyeing, while activities in Chongming district highlighted the island's agricultural heritage through handmade cloth sachets and mugwort bouquets.

Exhibitions and performances

​Visitors explore an art exhibition in Shanghai during the three-day holiday. [Photo/Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism]

Major exhibitions offered visitors a wide range of cultural experiences during the break.

Shanghai Museum East had three major special exhibitions on view, including Dawn of the First Empire: The Qin's Unification in Archaeological Treasures and Writers Revealed: Treasures from British Collections and the National Portrait Gallery, London.

At the Museum of Art Pudong, Giorgio Morandi: Solo provided a comprehensive survey of the influential 20th-century Italian artist's works.

Other exhibitions included Emptiness as Art: The Wisdom of Eastern Aesthetics at the Long Museum West Bund and Material Matters, featuring textile artists Sheila Hicks and Shi Hui, at the West Bund Museum.

The holiday performance program also featured the National Theatre of China's The Yellow Storm, a stage adaptation of Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof, at the Huangpu Cultural Center. Shanghai Concert Hall presented a concert of traditional silk-and-bamboo ensemble music from Jiangnan, the region south of the lower Yangtze River.

Waterfront attractions and night tours

​Leisure boats cruise along the Huangpu River during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. [Photo/Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism]

The Oriental Pearl Tower combined its 259-meter glass skywalk with a Dragon Boat Festival light show, while Shanghai Tower's Top of Shanghai Observatory held sachet-making activities.

Riverside terrace markets were held at Waitanyuan, Raffles City The Bund, and Sinar Mas Plaza, offering visitors scenic views of the Huangpu River.

Sightseeing boats on the Huangpu River operated special holiday cruises, while Yuyuan Garden launched a night tour combining traditional garden scenery with live performances.