BEIJING: The bright spring days have fueled travel enthusiasm during this year’s Qingming Festival holiday, as the long weekend coincides with warmer temperatures, prompting strong travel demand from Chinese consumers eager to embrace the season.
During the three-day Tomb-sweeping Day holiday, besides millions of Chinese people participating in ancient rituals and cleaning tombs to pay tribute to their family ancestors, the festival has also seen urbanites setting out for activities like kite flying and family outings.
The trend of flower blossom viewing continues to rise, boosting local cultural and tourism markets. In Luoyang, Henan, the Peony Cultural Festival, which began on April 1, coincides with the Qingming Festival, drawing travelers as peonies bloom.
In particular, the trend of enjoying flower blossoms continues to heat up, driving the growth of local cultural and tourism markets. In Luoyang, Henan province, its Peony Cultural Festival, which began on April 1, coincides with the Qingming Festival holiday, drawing travelers as peonies bloom.
For hotel bookings, Luoyang ranks among the top 10 most popular destinations in China. Cities like Kunming, Yunnan province; Bijie, Guizhou province and Wuyuan, Jiangxi province, have also seen hotel booking volumes increase by 30 percent year-on-year due to the appeal of floral scenes, according to Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.
Besides, major cities such as Beijing; Shanghai; Guangzhou, Guangdong province; and Chengdu, Sichuan province, have seen increased passenger flow within the two-hour high-speed rail network.
“The hotel booking data shows that Chinese consumers’ demand for travel is still strong, and even short holidays have a significant impact on driving the growth of tourism and cultural consumption,” said Xiao Peng, a Qunar researcher.
“From watching flower blossoms outside the high-speed train windows to viewing cherry blossoms abroad, the improvement of transportation has enabled travelers to make more diverse choices for the holiday,” Xiao said. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
