bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Phoenix Kwong

Residents of Hangzhou are about to set off on vacation or stock up on groceries as businesses shut down in the eastern Chinese city that is hosting the G20 world leaders summit next month.
Authorities in the city, which is the capital of Zhejiang province, have declared a week-long holiday starting on Thursday for the summit and Hangzhou residents will be offered free admission to tourist attractions in nearby cities.
Check out our comprehensive multimedia package on the G20 in Hangzhou
Prices for plane tickets from Hangzhou have soared due to rising demand for outbound travel next week.

Wang Gang, who lives in the inner-city Shangcheng district, said he was stockpiling food and planning trips outside the city during the holidays due to the traffic controls and other measures as security had been tightened in and around the city.
But he was delighted to have an extra week’s holiday.
Long queues at Hangzhou tourist area amid G20 security blitz
“I’ll take the family to a nearby city on Saturday as many attractions are free for Hangzhou residents, as are toll roads within the province,” he said.
He has also put food by for when they are in town.
“I have prepared 50 to 60 dumplings and other instant food which should be enough for two to three days,” Wang said.
Some restaurants in Hangzhou have already closed, while cafes at West Lake are selling only drinks and desserts but no food as stricter security checks have disrupted deliveries to the scenic area.
All Hangzhou markets must stay open during G20 summit: government
Traffic controls will tighten further from this Sunday until September 6 as vehicles will only be allowed on the roads on alternate days when an odd-even number plate system is in place.
Wu Shizhun, who works for a start-up incubator in Hangzhou, said he would head to Hong Kong via Shenzhen for his vacation.

A one-way plane ticket from Hangzhou to Shenzhen, which normally cost about 400 yuan (HK$466), doubled to 800 yuan last week, Wu said.
Chinese city orders cars off the road for G20 summit
Instead he would travel by train to Shenzhen, which cost 400 yuan but took eight hours, he said.
“I also factored in security checks at the airport and possible flight delays, so the train trip may not take much longer than the flight,” he said.
As it was a special holiday only for Hangzhou residents, hotels and other expenses in other cities were much cheaper than peak seasons such as the National Day holidays, Wu said.
Yan Haifeng, the chief operating officer of an online travel agency Tuniu, said the one-week vacation had boosted demand for package tours and air tickets to countries within six hours’ flying time from Hangzhou.
Busting 7 myths about the G20 summit in Hangzhou
“The demand from tourists from Hangzhou during that week is huge. Most outbound tours to Japan, South Korea and Thailand have already sold out,” Yan said.

While the bonus holiday is good news for the city’s travel agents and residents, other business owners are far from pleased.
Mr Gong, a taxi driver, said he expected to be out of pocket because of the traffic controls and security checks during G20.
“Taxis are the major target at security check points as we carry mainly visitors to Hangzhou. It takes more time and costs passenger more money for each ride,” he said.
Shanghai’s airports, railway stations impose anti-terror security checks ahead of Hangzhou G20 summit
“We are annoyed but not dare to speak out as we know the police will enforce security stringently.”
Stricter controls have also delayed parcel deliveries. Yang Xin, who runs an online pharmacy in Hangzhou, said all parcels had to pass careful inspection for the past month.
“We need to explain this to customers, but some cancelled their orders and asked for a refund,” she said.
Most of Yang’s staff will take the week-long holiday, although a few will remain on duty as their customers’ businesses in other cities will continue as normal.


Three fixes that can save the G20 from becoming just ‘a meeting place for leaders’

Political disunion in Europe may derail plans for coordinated effort to shore up growth, analysts say

Obama staircase row is a non-event in the bigger scheme of Sino-US relations

Global forum to tackle steel glut sounds good on paper, but can it work?

G20: Hangzhou

Bonus holidays, free tolls and tickets galore: how Hangzhou residents are being lured out of town for G20

People walk past a sign promoting the upcoming G20 summit at the airport in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Photo: SCMP Pictures

=== NO ARCHIVE IMAGE === Empty Hangzhou.

=== NO ARCHIVE IMAGE === People prepare dumplings in Hangzhou.

In this photograph taken on August 20, 2016, people move through a security check at the West Lake scenic spot in Hangzou, east China's Zhejiang province. Security has been enhanced ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou. / AFP PHOTO / STR

Long queues at Hangzhou tourist area amid G20 security blitz

Heightened security at the scenic West Lake area is annoying Hangzhou residents. Photo: Phoenix Kwong

Visitors waiting to pass the security inspection to enter the West Lake.

News

China

Politics

Travel agents and ordinary citizens delighted to have an extra week’s holiday, but taxi drivers and other business owners will feel the pinch
