The mainland might scrap its chaotic 'golden week' holiday system in 2009 and introduce traditional public holidays or compulsory paid leave as compensation, according to a leading tourism academic.
Zhang Hui, dean of the Beijing International Studies University's tourism administration department, told a forum in Xiamen that the seven-day 'golden week' holiday for the Lunar New Year would be kept, but the others would be cancelled, the Southeast Express reported.
China has three 'golden weeks' centred on the Lunar New Year, Labour Day and National Day.
The May 1 break would be cut to one day and the National Day holiday to two days, according to Professor Zhang, who said the conclusion was the result of rounds of discussion by the country's tourism experts.
'Now the biggest disagreement among experts is which traditional holidays to make public holidays,' he said.
'We then came up with a solution that the mid-autumn holiday should be a public holiday and the government would choose two more from the Lantern Festival, the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, the Dragon-Boat Festival and Double Nine Day.'