Retail sales reach to 570b yuan during holiday

Retail sales during the eight-day National Day holiday hit new high to about 570 billion yuan ($83.49 billion), the Ministry of Commerce said on its website yesterday.

Daily retail sales during this period grew 18 percent from that of the national holiday last year which ran from October 1 to 7, the ministry said, with sales in home appliances, jewelry and catering sectors all experiencing a surge during the holiday.

Notably, revenue in China's tourism market is expected to top 100 billion yuan during the country's longest national holiday ever, up 25 percent year-on-year, according to the China Tourism Academy.

Meanwhile, the number of tourists during this period is expected to grow 13 percent year-on-year to 200 million persons, said the academy.

The holiday, running from October 1 to 8, was extended by one day this year as the Mid-Autumn Festival fell in the period.