The issuing of coupons has proved to be effective in spurring consumption in Zhoushan amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

On March 18, the city launched a coupon campaign with the aim of offsetting the impact of the epidemic on sectors such as tourism, hotels, catering, and entertainment.

Over the past two months, local authorities have handed out a total of 500,000 coupons, among which 50,000 coupons with a combined value of about three million yuan ($434,752.6) have been utilized, resulting in more than 15.25 million yuan in consumption.

A staffer at the ZhoulvNanYuan Maritime Silk Road Hotel said that the coupons provided discounts to many of the hotel's guests, and encouraged many people to eat at the hotel's buffet.

An employee at Donggang Store in Kaihong Square said that the coupons had boosted clothes sales in the store. He added that the store is also exploring other ways to attract more customers, such as livestreams.

In a bid to further stimulate consumption, the local government has decided to leave the coupons in effect until June 30.

People can obtain the coupons by subscribing to the official WeChat account of the Zhoushan Tourism Committee (zsqdly).

Each individual can apply for up to three coupons.