Singapore: With record tourist figures during the Chinese May Holidays, the hospitality of a county has become viral.
Tourism officials and residents of Xuanen, a county in the central province of Hubei, would have opened their houses to blocked travelers – attracting praise and also questions from online internet users, who described this decision as “absurd and clumsy”.
The Xuanen tourist office shared videos and accounts on May 3 of the staff and local residents opening their house to travelers, who were unable to find accommodation during the busy vacation period.
The five -day national holiday from May 1 to 5 saw a Huge increase in domestic tourism.
Hubei is known for its natural and historical landmarks like the three gorges dam on the Yangtze river and the mountains of Wudang – a site renowned for the tai chi and considered a place of religious pilgrimage.
In particular, Xuanen welcomed nearly 702,000 visitors between May 1 and 3, marking an increase of 85.7% compared to the same period last year, officials said.
According to a report by Hubei Daily, around thirty blocked tourists have remained in the homes of residents and officials.
Among them was a traveler named Wang, who led four hours with her family from their home to Yichang in Xuanen during a spontaneous road trip – without reserving accommodation in advance.
It turned out that the family of four could not find a room for the night, because many local hotels and reception sessions were completely reserved. Wang told Hubei Daily that she finally called the tourist authorities to get help.
In a video published on the WeChat account of the County Tourism Office, Wang said that tourism officials “spent a lot of time” helping them find hotel rooms or other dwellings in Xuanen.
That night, the family was offered free accommodation – not in a hotel, but in the home of the Director of the Tourism Office, Wang Jufang.
Unsurprisingly, the family was full of praise for the “comforting service” they received from local tourism officials.
Another manager of the tourism office named Guo Yanrui was also congratulated for having offered spare rooms in his house to four tourists from Sichuan province.
The director of the Tourism Office, Wang, said that the county residents also offered their house as a temporary accommodation for tourists.
More than 30 travelers were hosted in local residences during the vacation period on May, while 100 emergency beds – equipped with daily necessities – were created in the national county gymnasium, Wang added.
Wang did not meet the family during their visit because they worked at the time.
She even made an additional effort by returning to her hometown for the night so that the family can have intimacy.
“We also believe in the concept of” guests who come first “,” said Wang.
“The goodwill of the residents showed tourists the warmth of Xuanen County and how they were treated as the family while they were here.”
