Shopping malls in Lishui are all hustle and bustle during the first Spring Festival holiday since the country optimized its anti-virus response. [Photo/WeChat account: lishuisw]

During the week-long Spring Festival holiday on Jan 21-27, sales from consumer-related sectors in Lishui city – in East China's Zhejiang province – jumped 9.5 percent year-on-year to reach 1.91 billion yuan ($281.6 million), according to local media reports.

Many people returned to their hometowns for family reunions during the first Spring Festival holiday since the country optimized its COVID-19 response, while others took long-awaited trips for leisure.

The city's commercial retail department stores made careful and detailed preparations to stimulate consumer spending during the break – such as issuing shopping coupons, holding festival bazaars and launching discounts – to tap into consumer potential and stimulate people's enthusiasm. In all, the city issued 23.45 million yuan in shopping coupons for the holiday.

According to preliminary statistics, the city's retail sales during the period hit 1.37 billion yuan, achieving year-on-year growth of 31.7 percent.

The catering sector also experienced a strong rebound, triggered by people's mounting enthusiasm for traveling and family reunions. During the Spring Festival holiday, the city's catering consumption reached 53 million yuan, up 8.3 percent year-on-year.