"Golden week" holidays could end in 2009

Tourism & Leisure

28 June 2007

The "golden week" holiday system, which has become synonymous with overcrowding and overpricing, could be phased out in 2009 and replaced by traditional public holidays or compulsory paid leave. The potential plans were outlined by Zhang Hui, dean of the Beijing International Studies University's tourism administration department, who was addressing a forum in Xiamen. Zhang said that only the seven-day "golden week" for the Lunar New Year would remain, the South China Morning Post reported, citing state media. The May 1 Labor Day "golden week" would be reduced to just one day, while the October 1 National Day holiday would last two days. Zhang said this conclusion was the result of rounds of discussion by the country's tourism experts. The countrywide week-long holidays were introduced in 1999 to boost consumer spending. However, the US$87.9 billion supposedly generated in tourism revenue has come at the cost of low-quality travel experiences.

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