A boy poses with Chinese national flags at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, capital of China, Oct 1, 2020. (MARK SCHIEFELBEIN / AP)

BEIJING / SHANGHAI - Chinese citizens started their eight-day golden holiday on Thursday for the National Day and traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.

The extended holiday is expected to boost tourism and inject momentum into China's recovering economy.

Amid epidemic control, hundreds of millions of Chinese will be traveling for family reunions or staycations after having stuck at home for months due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

ALSO READ: China expects National Day holiday tourism rebound

During the holiday, the total number of domestic tourists nationwide is estimated to reach 550 million, while the total traffic volume on the expressway network is forecasted to reach 408 million. The railway is expected to transport 108 million passengers.

Ahead of the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, more than 1,500 tourist attractions have unveiled discounts or ticket-free policies, and authorities in more than 20 provincial-level regions have introduced coupons to further revive tourism, according to a report

Xu Jie, a 35-year-old photographer with the Shanghai-based Spring Tour travel agency, celebrated the National Day with 15 local tourists. They took a city walk strolling along the Bund, an iconic scenic spot of the metropolis. He guided the visitors to catch sight of the magnificent sunrise on the Huangpu River.

"More and more people are developing a fondness for city walks, which can help them better understand the place. Especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, most people choose not to travel abroad to avoid the risks of infection," said Xu.

Spring Tour has launched such city-stroll package in Shanghai to help people develop a deeper understanding of the city's history and culture.

"The walks led by Xu sold out quickly after they were launched. City strolls involving coffee tasting or watching performances are also quite popular," said Ke Yiming, marketing manager of Spring Tour.  

Trip.com Group estimated that Chinese tourists will make 600 million domestic trips during the holiday from Oct 1 to 8.

In the run-up to the holiday, more than 1,500 tourist attractions have unveiled discounts or ticket-free policies, and authorities in more than 20 provincial-level regions have introduced coupons to further revive tourism, according to the report.

Data from China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed a positive trend in the recovery and development of the country's tourism industry, with epidemic control measures in place.

In the third quarter, the number of tourists at the A-level tourist attractions nationwide reached about 70 percent of the same period last year, and the numbers at some local tourist sites were close to the same period as the previous year.

READ MORE: China preparing for travel boom during Oct's National Day

During the week-long National Day holiday in 2019, China saw a total of 782 million domestic tourist trips, up 7.81 percent year on year.