Passengers pose for photographs before boarding a train specially for senior travelers at a railway station in Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua]

Flower viewing, hiking and short-distance tours trended during the Qingming Festival holiday, with older people showing stronger interest in traveling, according to tourism companies.

Chinese people visit their ancestors' tombs and make ritual offerings to mark the festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, which fell on Friday this year. During the three-day holiday, which ended on Sunday, a large number of people chose to enjoy spring scenery and indulge in various outdoor activities.

"I visited Beijing for the first time, and with my three good friends. We went to the Summer Palace, where the flowers are in full bloom, and took many photos," said Liu Cuiping, 58, from Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

Liu added that her husband and son encouraged her to travel outside her hometown and have fun with friends, because they support her and didn't want family duties to tie her down during the holiday.

Figures from travel portal Qunar show that hotel bookings made by older travelers registered the highest growth on the platform, increasing 30 percent year-on-year. Qunar attributed the growth to budget-friendly flight tickets and affordable hotel prices, as well as mild weather during the holiday weekend.

"Qingming Festival is not that much of a busy season for the tourism market. However, we've seen a more energetic and lively tourism market this year, thanks to the higher engagement of older travelers, who previously avoided traveling during public holidays due to budget concerns," said Xiao Peng, a researcher at Qunar.

Top choices for a short vacation included destinations in neighboring provinces and places featuring stunning spring blossoms, according to tourism companies.

Travel agency Tuniu said that nearly 40 percent of bookings on the platform were for short-distance tours, and the travel duration for over half of these trips was two or three days.

"Destinations with breathtaking spring scenery such as peony blossoms in Luoyang, Henan province, and rapeseed flower fields in Wuyuan, Jiangxi province, were among top draws," Tuniu said, adding that Guangzhou and Zhuhai in Guangdong province, as well as Shanghai and Beijing, also saw many visitors.

For fans of high-intensity outdoor activities, hiking along scenic routes or scaling mountains in areas that boast cultural treasures were popular ways to spend the holiday.

Mount Wutai in Shanxi province and Huangshan Mountain in Anhui province saw many visitors, Tuniu said, as these are located in areas famous for Buddhist monasteries and Hui-style buildings, respectively.

Huangshan, with its magnificent peaks, breathtaking views of clouds, rows of pine trees and soothing hot springs, received over 95,000 visitors during the holiday, up 26 percent year-on-year, according to the Huangshan Mountain Management Committee.

A 32-year-old traveler, who asked to be identified only as Zhang, said that in recent years, she has started to appreciate the beauty of spring. "The blooming flowers are like the messengers of spring, and I feel happier just by being near them," she said after returning from Luoyang.

"Qingming Festival is a time to commemorate our ancestors, and it is also a good time to explore nature and enjoy spring," Zhang added.

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