Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang province witnessed a strong rebound in tourist arrivals during the Spring Festival holiday as pent-up demand was unleashed after China optimized its COVID response measures. 

Official data revealed by the Zhoushan bureau of culture and tourism shows that the city received over 420,000 visits during the seven-day holiday, a year-on-year increase of 224.6 percent. 

The city's Putuo Mountain Scenic Area welcomed more than 340,000 tourists, about 75 percent of the figure during the Spring Festival holiday in 2019. 

The Zhujiajian Scenic Spot received 89,313 visitors during the same period, up 173.1 percent year-on-year. 

In addition to iconic tourist attractions, short-tour rural trips were also popular among locals. 

"I was thinking of a different way to celebrate the Chinese New Year, so I drove an hour to Daishan county's Dongsha ancient town to experience the traditional customs such as paper-cutting and lion dance. The hustle and bustle of country life takes me back to my childhood," said a local surnamed Li. 

The occupancy rate of the city's 20 tourist hotels reached 58.6 percent during the holiday, while the average occupancy rate of its 43 boutique homestays was 16.2 percent.