(Yicai Global) July 6 -- As 10.71 million Chinese university hopefuls gather together for two days of intense college entrance examinations, known as gaokao, hotels, flights, confectionary and good luck merchandise have all seen a boost.

Hotel reservations on Alibaba Group Holding’s Fliggy travel website jumped 30 percent in the first week of July from the same period last month, and the search volume for lunch-break rooms has increased over 20 times, according to the online travel agency.

Some hotels have even changed their room numbers to auspicious numbers such as 985 or 211, known to represent world-class universities.

Good luck mascots have seen their popularity surge. Some 510 red T-shirts emblazoned with the words ‘The College Entrance Examination Battle of 2020’ sold this month on Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Taobao. Over 300 mothers bought cheongsam, a traditional Chinese dress, featuring the wish ‘Good luck from the start.’ Online bakeries are offering special discounts for cakes decorated with congratulations on passing the exam.

Meanwhile, leading mobile game publishers lie in wait for the long holiday after the tests. NetEase released 27 new games on May 20 and Tencent Holdings brought out 40 on June 28.

The mobile game market is expected to maintain its growth momentum throughout the summer vacation, reported the China Securities Journal, citing brokerage China Galaxy Securities.

Editor: Kim Taylor