Gulangyu Island in Xiamen city, Fujian province [Photo/Asianews Photo]
Xiamen, a famous tourist city in Fujian province has overtaken Sanya for the first time, becoming the most popular domestic tourist destination during the 2016 Spring Festival, according to a recent report issued by online travel agencies.
The report analyzed tourists' travel demands and reservation of tour routes, and selected top 10 most popular tourist destinations in the upcoming Spring Festival.
Other popular tour destinations include Beijing, Sanya, Harbin, Kunming, Chengdu, Changchun, Mountain Changbai Nature Reserve, Xi’an and Guilin. The data also shows that most tourists favor trips to islands and snowy areas.
A total of 77.67 percent tourists choose to travel during off-peak holidays. More than half will travel before the Spring Festival holiday, 20 percent higher than that during 2015 National Day holiday.
According to Ctrip, China's biggest online travel agency, the number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad during the 2016 Spring Festival will reach a record high of 6 million with trips to 100 countries and regions worldwide including the South Pole.
The most popular overseas tourist destinations are Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the US, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia.
Xiamen is known for its ocean scenery and beaches. It boasts many famous tourist attractions, such as Gulangyu, a popular weekend getaway featuring Victorian-era style European edifices; Botanical Garden, a nature lover's paradise; and Buddhist Nanputuo Temple, a national treasure.
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
