UPDATE 2-China passenger trips up 2.5% during Dragon Boat holiday

China recorded more than 653.7 million inter-regional passenger trips during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, up 2.5% year-on-year, state media reported on Tuesday, with the indicator closely watched as a barometer of Chinese consumer confidence.

Consumption in the world's second-largest economy has suffered amidst sputtering growth and a prolonged property crisis, while uncertainty from the U.S.-China trade war has also affected consumer confidence. The annual festival took place from May 31 to June 2 this year and is celebrated throughout the country with local dragon boat races and many people taking the opportunity to have a short holiday.

Road travel during the three-day holiday was up 2.4% from last year with 597.3 million trips recorded, state news agency Xinhua said citing the transport ministry, while China's rail and air travel volumes also saw robust passenger flow. Cross border trips rose 2.7% to 5.9 million, with a total of 231,000 foreign nationals entering the country visa-free during the holiday.

China has been expanding its visa policy, with citizens of 43 countries granted visa-free access, while visa-free transit for up to 240 hours in China is available for 54 countries. The holiday also boosted spending on entertainment, with total box office revenue reaching 460 million yuan ($63.9 million), surpassing last year's 384 million yuan, according to data from online ticketing platform Maoyan.

Tom Cruise's latest movie "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" topped charts, and generated 228 million yuan, half of total revenue during the holiday period, which was seen as a positive indicator for the upcoming summer season. ($1 = 7.1977 yuan)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)