Over 100,000 visitors flooded into a county with a population of just 50,000, and nearly 500 tourists were given free accommodation in school dormitories after all hotels and guesthouses reached full capacity.

On October 3, Qilian County in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, received more than 100,000 tourists, with all hotels and homestays fully booked, according to reports. From the night of October 3 to the early hours of October 4, local authorities arranged public welfare beds for nearly 500 tourists who had nowhere to stay. Many tourists posted messages of gratitude online, praising Qilian's cultural and tourism services.

According to tourists' accounts, after arriving in Qilian County on October 3, they could not find any accommodation on major booking platforms. Later, they came across an announcement from Qilian's cultural and tourism department on the internet and were arranged that same night to stay free of charge at Qilian County Nationalities Middle School. "Four people to a room, and brand-new bedding was distributed on site." It rained in Qilian on October 3, with snow falling on the mountain peaks, and nighttime temperatures dropped to -4 degrees Celsius. Some tourists said that after arriving at the school, they quickly completed registration, with men and women housed separately, going from "homeless" to staying in a heated dormitory in just half an hour.

In an online video from October 3, Feng Lingling, Party Secretary and Director of the Qilian County Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, was seen making beds and carrying luggage for tourists in a student dormitory. On the afternoon of October 4, Feng Lingling said in an interview that because tourist numbers during this year's National Day holiday exceeded even the regular peak season, she had been helping on the front lines at the temporary public welfare accommodation point at the school dormitory on both October 2 and 3.

Feng Lingling said that starting from around 5:00 to 6:00 PM on October 2, they began receiving reports of tourists unable to find accommodation. Following a previously established contingency plan, they contacted the education bureau and the school that same evening, opened the dormitories, and the entire bureau staff was deployed. "The day before yesterday, I made beds with my colleagues, and yesterday I helped with registration," Feng Lingling said. She noted that they do not rest during holidays, and during this National Day holiday, matters including scenic area safety, large-scale event operations, and complaint handling all required staff on site, so personnel were spread thin. On the night of October 3, Feng Lingling and other staff members worked until about 2:40 AM on October 4 before returning home to rest.

Feng Lingling said that Qilian County, with a population of 50,000, saw over 100,000 people pour in on October 3 based on an estimated 35,000 vehicles, and while some may have simply passed through, even a small portion staying would exceed the county's accommodation capacity. Chen, an office staff member of the Qilian County Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, said that from 5:30 PM to midnight on October 3, they received over 400 phone calls at the office, mostly from tourists looking for accommodation, "nearly seven hours without a single break."

According to reports, Qilian County's peak tourism season is typically July and August each year. Due to the popularity of the local Route 9 highway on the internet this year, a large number of tourists were attracted to visit during the National Day holiday. On the morning of October 4, Qilian's cultural and tourism department issued a latest notice: On October 3, Qilian County had nearly 35,000 vehicles, and all of the county's over 400 hotels and homestays were fully booked, with public welfare beds accommodating nearly 500 people. Due to limited bed capacity, tourists experiencing accommodation difficulties are reminded to promptly call service hotlines 0970-8672109, 8676625, or 8676879 to reserve public welfare beds or adjust their travel plans.