Photo via CGTN

China's tourism income hit 312 billion yuan ($46 billion) in the first four days of the National Day holiday which started on October 1, making up 68.9 percent of the figure in the same period last year, according to figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The first half of the eight-day holiday saw about 425 million domestic trips, about 78.4 percent of the figure last year.

On Sunday alone, China witnessed 110 million tourists and grossed 80.8 billion yuan in tourism income. 

Tourists' enthusiasm has made tickets of popular destinations hard to get, especially when the number of tickets is limited to 75 percent of the scenic spots' maximum capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tickets for the Palace Museum in Beijing for October 1 to 8, which had to be booked online in advance, were all sold out even before the holiday started.

On Sunday evening, some hot scenic spots, such as the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou of Jiangsu Province, Mogao Grottoes in Gansu Province and Jiuzhaigou National Park in Sichuan Province, had sold out all their tickets for Monday.

The ministry estimated that regions adjacent to cities, rural areas and theme parks will remain popular during the rest of the holiday.