China's cultural and tourism market saw a strong growth during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday that started Saturday, during which spring tours had surged with travelers demand becoming more diversified.

Data from an online travel platform showed that since the start of April, with spring in full swing, there has been a surge in inter-regional travel, with cross-provincial trips accounting for 63 percent of all travel demand.
In terms of traveler demographics, the post-1995 generation led the way, making up 48 percent of travelers. As younger generations shift their spending habits, new trends are emerging in popular travel destinations -- including a growing preference for off-the-beaten-path destinations and a greater emphasis on unique, experience-based travel.
Flower-viewing trips were also a major highlight of this year's Qingming Festival holiday. At scenic spots large and small across China, wherever flowers are in bloom, crowds of tourists can be seen posing for photos among the blossoms.
A wide range of flower-themed cultural and tourism projects have been rolled out across the country, fueling the spring "flower economy". Online travel platform data showed that since March, searches for keywords such as "flower viewing" and "spring outings" have surged 3.8 times month on month, while sales of tour and sightseeing vacation packages have risen 72 percent year on year.
Notably, the introduction of the first-ever spring break for primary and secondary school students in some parts of China has extended the three-day Qingming Festival holiday into a six-day vacation, creating new ways to spend the holiday while carrying forward tradition.
"In terms of traveler profiles, we've seen a notable increase in study tours and family trips -- more children on the road. Many primary school students have learned how bees make honey, and I've even heard of some children learning about flower pollination during their holiday tours. So, this is different from simply admiring rapeseed or cherry blossoms. It shows that as the number of young travelers grows, the cultural and scientific content of trips is also increasing," said Dai Bin, head of the China Tourism Academy.
"Looking at travel motivations, in the past, holidays tended to be about flower viewing, spring outings, or cultural and folk experiences. But with the introduction of the spring break, travel motivations have become much more diverse. What's more, people traveled farther. In previous Qingming Festival holidays, with only three days off, people didn't go very far. This time, we've seen people travel significantly longer distances. Medium-haul trips of over 500 kilometers and long-haul trips of over 800 kilometers both increased noticeably. According to our monitoring, the average travel radius and the on-site activity radius at the destination have increased by more than 10 percent and 20 percent, respectively," he said.