About 1.52 million domestic and overseas tourists have moved to scenic spots in Beijing during the first three days of the seven-day National Day holiday, which started October 1.
Officials with Beijing Municipal Tourism Bureau said the favorite destinations are the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, Jingshan Hill, Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing and Wangfujing shopping street.
Tian'anmen Rostrum has been visited by 148,000 tourists during the past three days, according to the officials.
English-language publications about Beijing and its scenic spots, such as "The Story of the Summer Palace" and "Beijing's Forbidden City" have become best-sellers at the Foreign Language Book Store in Wangfujing.
Business has been brisk for restaurants on the street, including those serving Chinese food and western fast-food giants McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
A restaurant famous for its Beijing Roast Duck has sold about 1, 100 roast ducks each day with its sales volume three times over the previous average daily figure.
Sales volumes for major shopping malls on the street, such as the Beijing Department Store and Dong'an Mall have nearly doubled their annual average.
(People's Daily 10/04/2001)
