More than two million – or one in three – Hangzhou citizens are planning a trip during the upcoming G20 summit to be hosted in the city, making most of the weeklong vacation granted by the city government to help ensure airtight security.

The massive exodus from Hangzhou forms a sharp contrast with the rest of the country, with the new school year beginning in early September. Information released by major tourism agencies projected that the number of outbound tourists is expected to exceed that of the National Day Golden Week (Oct. 1-7) and be three times higher than during the same period last year.

Guizhou Province seized the opportunity and unveiled promotion plans. Many scenic spots in the province decided to offer admission exemptions for tourists from Zhejiang. Airlines, railways and bus companies introduced similar policies during the G20 summit.

Online travel agency Ctrip handed out more than 200,000 vouchers, containing 500 yuan (US$75) on average and eligible to Hangzhou citizens only, to elevate the G20 tourism enthusiasm.

Ctrip's G20 Tourism Report predicted that Aug. 28 and Sept. 1 would be the two peak days for departures and Sept. 5 and Sept. 7 for returns. The report also showed that two-thirds of departing tourists would choose domestic destinations; Sanya, Kunming and Xiamen are the top three destinations for medium-to-long trips, whereas nearby cities or natural attractions are mostly for travelers taking short trips.

On average, each tourist plans to spend 3,200 yuan (US$478) during their G20-granted holiday week, a fairly high amount given that domestic travelers will be in the majority.

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