BEIJING - Yue Zhongbin is a travel lover, yet he was surprised when he discovered that Thursday was China's first National Tourism Day.

"National Tourism Day? Never heard of it," said Yue, who works at a public institution in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

The National Tourism Administration of China announced last month, that starting this year, May 19 would be the annual National Tourism Day, a move aimed at arousing the public's enthusiasm for travel and promoting tourism consumption.

The date was chosen to commemorate the day when China's ancient travel writer, Xu Xiake, began writing his masterpiece Travel Notes of Xu Xiake during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said time, money and government policy are three major factors that can help stimulate public interest in traveling.

However, Yue, 27, was skeptical.

"At our age, we should be working hard," he said. "Leisure is a kind of a luxury for us."

Yue was not the only one reluctant to travel on the day. Xiang Yuan, an employee at a private company, in East China's Shandong province, said her mortgage loan had left her in no mood for any travel.

"I work six days a week, once I get a day off the only thing I want to do is to take a rest," said 27-year-old Xiang.

Xiang and her husband, who were married in early May, decided to forego their honeymoon travel plans, as they have to pay 1,800 yuan ($280) per month for their loan, which is nearly one third of the family's total income.

Sociology professor Ma Guanghai with Shandong University said China is a developing country and many people are still struggling to meet their food and housing needs, so to many, tourism remains a luxury.

Statistics show that the country's tourism income surged 18.9 percent year-on-year to 1.26 trillion yuan over the past five years. However, this amounts to only 4 percent of the GDP.

"Under the pressure of work and life in modern society, the Chinese people need an economic and a social base, before accepting regular tourism consumption," said Ma.

Dong Hongyang, a researcher with the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Studies, said China had a long way to go in promoting the National Tourism Day so that the public could accept the concept.

"More promotions are needed in combination with traditional Chinese culture, so as to further spread tourism culture and enhance the development of the tourism industry," he said.

Xinhua