Chinese Cities are Introducing Longer Weekends to Stimulate Consumption and Tourism

Many regions and cities in China have announced weekend extension measures aimed at boosting consumption and tourism amid the epidemic.

Since March, Hubei, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces, Longnan city in Gansu province and Lichuan in Hubei province have been implementing the scheme, which means Friday afternoon is included in the weekend which gives citizens more time to spend with their families.

The State Council of China proposed a flexible working week (4.5 working days) back in August 2015. However, in many regions of the country, it only became a reality recently when the authorities began to promote consumption and tourism, which declined sharply due to the strict epidemic prevention and control measures.

Official figures show that total consumer goods sales declined 19% year over year in the first quarter of 2020.

The epidemic situation is generally under control in the country and consumption and tourism are gradually recovering. Many areas are counting on the weekends to increase consumption.