BEIJING/SHANGHAI -- Major cities in China witnessed strong rebounds in tourist arrivals during the Spring Festival holiday as pent-up demand was unleashed after China optimized COVID response measures.

Official data revealed by the municipal administration of culture and tourism shows that Shanghai, a financial hub in eastern China, received over 10 million visits during the seven-day holiday, with tourism revenue reaching 16.64 billion yuan (about $2.5 billion). The city's main tourist attractions received over 4.1 million visits, about 90 percent of the figure during the Spring Festival holiday in 2019.

Beijing, the capital city, welcomed over 7 million tourist arrivals during the same period, generating a tourism income of 7.46 billion yuan, up 6.2 percent and 57.6 percent from the previous year, respectively. Each tourist spent an average of 1,047 yuan in Beijing, up 48.4 percent year on year and 4 percent higher than the reading in 2019.