NATIONAL media outlets have called for a rethink of the Golden Week holiday system, which has been tainted by a spate of fatal accidents.

"Amid rampant accidents endangering tourists' safety and growing complaints among the public, the Golden Week holiday system and tourism management have been put to test," said Xinhua.

Citing economic and tourism experts, it criticized local authorities for paying too much attention to economic gains while overlooking the demands of millions of tourists and various safety hazards.

A growing number of people chose to stay home during the weeklong holiday to avoid travel-related hassles, which was ironic as the authorities introduced the Golden Week in 1999 to boost consumption, Xinhua added.

According to the National Tourism Administration's Web site, 12 major tourist cities were quick to announce their economic returns for the May Day holiday with double-digit increases in tourism revenue reported.

Beijing received about 4.5 million domestic visitors during the holiday and reported an income of 3.9 billion yuan (US$48.14 million), up 12.2 percent from last year.

More than 4.25 million visitors brought Shanghai a total revenue of 2.73 billion yuan, up 14.7 percent.

Guangzhou received 5.35 million visitors and reaped a harvest of 2.8 billion yuan, up more than 13 percent from last year.

Adding to the mounting criticism of the Golden Week, the Beijing Youth Daily said the holiday would be remembered for the spate of deadly traffic and industrial accidents.

"The ever-growing number of tourists during the Golden Weeks has posed serious challenges to the country's road, rail and aviation systems, and the capacity of hotels and tourist sites," said the newspaper.

An overloaded van overturned in Shaanxi on Saturday, leaving seven dead and six injured, adding to the list of more than 100 fatalities over the week, Xinhua reported. The province reported two traffic accidents Thursday and Friday, which killed at least 10 people and injured eight. Another fatal traffic accident was also reported in Tibet in which 10 people were killed Saturday.

Editor: Wing