A series of souvenirs based on the tradition have been developed to appeal to increasing numbers of tourists, he said.

"The dragon dance is amazing. It was my first time seeing it, and it was unforgettable," said Tommy Tanu Wijaya, an Indonesian student studying at Beijing Normal University. He traveled to Binyang to celebrate the festival with his wife.

According to the local organizer, the county's hotels and restaurants were fully booked for the festival.

The return of firecracker dragon dancing epitomizes China's tourism boom during this year's Spring Festival, which officially occurred between Jan 21 and Jan 27. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, around 308 million domestic tourism trips were made during the period, an increase of 23.1 percent year-on-year and 88.6 percent of 2019's Spring Festival trips.

Xinhua