BEIJING, China – Tourist spots in China have been swamped by a record number of visitors during the ongoing May Day holiday.
On Friday, the Giant Stone Buddha at Leshan city in Sichuan province received 25,000 visitors. In order to get a glimpse of the architectural wonder, tourists need to walk along a two kilometer walkway on the side of the mountain. The huge numbers of tourists meant that it took on average, four hours to have a view of the statue.
Gulangyu Island in the southeastern city of Xiamen also saw over 60,000 visitors on Friday. At most, the site can accommodate 17,000 tourists with ease. At Hangzhouโs iconic West Lake, tourists are mostly impressed not by the view, but the crowds. And in southwest Chongqingโs old town area, throngs of tourists have not only brought booming business for shopkeepers, but also tonnes of litter on the ground.