Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province welcomed a total of 7.27 million tourists during the Spring Festival holiday from Feb 11 to Feb 17.

The number was 85 percent of the same period in 2019 before the COVID-19 epidemic.

The city's tourism revenue amounted to 157.85 million yuan ($24.28 million), 83 percent of the figure from 2019, according to the Ningbo Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film, Television and Tourism.

This year, local authorities rolled out a string of preferential policies including free admission to some scenic attractions to encourage non-local workers to stay in the city for the holiday.

Encouraged by the policies, numerous visitors opted for rural tours or scenic attractions located nearby.

The city's scenic spots including Dongqian Lake, Cicheng Ancient Town, Daren village, Ningbo Botanical Garden were among the most-visited tourist spots during the holiday.

Meanwhile, Ningbo Fonte Oriental Heritage, Xiangshan Film and Television City and Youngor Zoo also proved popular with tourist groups organized by companies from the city as well as those from provinces of Anhui, Henan, Sichuan and Jiangxi.

Statistics show that more than 60 percent of rooms in the city's boutique homestays were booked during the seven-day holiday.

A total of 100 star-rated hotels across the city also launched customized services including Lunar New Year's Eve dinner sets that consumers can prepare themselves.