People in the city of Jinzhong, Shanxi province will be getting more flexibility next year in their work, during the April - October period, by working only half-a-day on Fridays, giving them a bit of extra time for weekend travel in hopes of giving the tourism industry a boost, according to a policy announcement at a meeting, on Dec 21 where the move was described as a provincial pilot project in response to a State Council decision earlier this year.

That earlier document, "Decisions on Promoting Tourism Investment and Consumption" was intended to urge employers to make their vacation schedules more flexible for employees to boost tourism and Jinzhong is the first city in Shanxi to carry it out by giving employees two-and-a-half-day weekends twice a month. They still have to make up for the extra half day of leave but can choose the way they do that.

The policy could help the people avoid peak travel periods, thereby taking some of the pressure off transportation and the catering sector, to increase consumption.