Qingming Festival travelers stopping to smell the blossoms

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Flower blossoms are attracting travelers for spring outings during the approaching Qingming Festival from April 5 to 7, travel agencies said.

Data cited from Ctrip, an online travel agency headquartered in Shanghai, shows over 110 million visits will be made by Chinese travelers during the three-day break, covering both domestic and international destinations.

Cherry blossoms in spring. /VCG Photo

Cherry blossoms at the Cherry Blossom Park in Wuhan City, central China's Hubei Province. /VCG Photo

Cherry blossoms at Yuantouzhu Island in Wuxi City, east China's Jiangsu Province. /VCG Photo

Cherry blossoms at Yuyuantan Park in Beijing. /VCG Photo

Enjoying the beauty of flowers is the main reason for traveling, Ctrip said, as rape flowers, peach blossoms and cherry blossoms in parts of southern China including Hunan, Hubei, Yunnan, Jiangxi provinces and Shanghai are currently in full blossom.

According to China CYTS Tours Holding Co in Beijing, 87 percent of its users who choose domestic tours on the platform are looking for peony and cherry blossoms in Shanghai and Jiangsu, Yunnan, Sichuan and Henan provinces.

Rape flowers in Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province. /VCG Photo

Foreign destinations highlighting blooming flowers are also attracting Chinese travelers. Japan, for example, has become a popular destination for Chinese visitors every March and April for its full-blown cherry blossoms.

Ctrip said about one million Chinese travelers will visit Japan for this year's cherry blossom season, and spend tens of billions of yuan there.

Li Qiuyan, branding director with Lvmama, another online travel agency in Shanghai, said travelers are still excited about the break even though they only get three days off work – especially senior college students graduating this June.

Peach blossoms in Nyingchi Prefecture, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. /VCG Photo

Peach blossoms in Nyingchi Prefecture. /VCG Photo

Peach blossoms in Nyingchi. /VCG Photo

According to Lvmama, self-guided tours and high-speed railways are the two most popular choices for travelers during the Qingming Festival.

Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-sweeping Festival in China, is a traditional Chinese holiday for spring outings and worshiping ancestors.

(Cover: Rape flowers in Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): China Daily