Ningbo to issue 1b yuan worth of coupons

Visitors at a shopping mall in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Ningbo in East China's Zhejaing province recently announced that it will issue 1 billion yuan ($142.86 million) worth of coupons this year to boost local consumption following the nation's optimization of its COVID-19 measures.

The coupons will be released during 300 shopping festivals that will be held in the city throughout the year, local authorities said.

Ningbo aims to increase the retail sales of consumer goods, exports, sales of locally produced products and digital consumption to more than 500 billion yuan each in 2023.

The city's wholesale and retail sales for the year are targeted to reach the 6 trillion yuan mark.

Meanwhile, Ningbo will strive to attract over 50 million overnight visitors by developing 100 branded demonstration sites for nighttime culture and tourism consumption. 

Efforts will also be made to develop the outdoor economy, with the goal of attracting 1 million campers this year.

The proportion of expenditure on culture and entertainment in per capita consumption is expected to reach 10 percent.

In addition, the public will be exempt from admission fees or offered discounts for tickets to venues like gyms, non-ancient buildings, State-owned museums and art galleries across the city.