Tourists are seen at the West Lake scenic area in Hangzhou at noon on Oct 8. [Photo/IC]

East China's Zhejiang province saw a travel boom during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, sending a strong signal that the province's tourism sector has largely recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to data from 238 national 4A and 5A tourist attractions across the province, a total of 64.91 million visitors were received between Oct 1 and 3 pm on Oct 8, up 2.89 percent from the previous year.

During the eight-day holiday, which included National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhejiang required all of its 5A tourist sites and some of its most popular 4A tourist sites to limit visitors to no more than 75 percent of maximum capacity. A total of 14.97 million visits were made to the province's key tourist sites during the holiday, 76 percent of last year's number.

The top five travel destinations in the province during the holiday were West Lake in Hangzhou, Wuzhen and Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, and Shenjiamen Fishing Port and Putuo Mountain in Zhoushan.

Rural tourism proved popular, with many people opting to spend their holiday at quiet rural homestays instead of crowded tourist sites in cities.