Travel during the National Day vacation is expected to be smoother than it was for Labor Day, when havoc reigned as too many people showed up at the same time in the same places.
City travel agencies say they are better prepared for the millions of people who will head for the beaches, mountains and other scenic spots over the seven-day holiday, starting Sunday.
Tourism officials also report that some people are avoiding the peak travel times because of the widespread overcrowding and overbooking that occurred during the May celebration.
Even so, it may already be too late to snare a trip to hot spots such as Beijing.
Instead, last-minute tourists should look to Hainan and other southern locations, where vacancies still exist.
At least part of the reason for improved conditions is that both the travel agencies and the travelers have been given more time to prepare.
For Labor Day, the government announced the holiday schedule less than a week in advance. For the upcoming National Day, the schedule was released more than a month ago.
For travelers who haven't made plans yet, there is hope.
Shanghai Spring International Travel Service, one of the largest agencies for domestic trips, said Hainan and Guilin still have the ability to handle additional tourists because of their abundant hotel rooms and restaurants.
"But Beijing and Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province are the hot destinations this time," said Jiang Weihao, of Shanghai Spring.
Tours to China's west, including the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Dunhuang in Gansu Province, are already filled up because of limited facilities, as are the flights bound for those locations.
Shanghai Dazhong International Travel Service had a similar outlook.
"Hainan tours will not be as crowded as the last time," said Fei Hong, deputy manager of the travel service.
The company, which focuses on bus travel to neighboring Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, said it is handling about the same number of tourists this holiday as it did for the past one.
"With much longer preparation and no hot-headed behavior from tourists because of last-minute frustrations, this holiday is not as challenging as we expected," said Wang Yujia, of Shanghai Dazhong.
Looking for some quick travel options? She suggested a one-day trip to Suzhou to watch a group of 12 international stunt pilots perform in air shows scheduled for next week.
(Eastday 09/30/2000)
