Travelers hit the road for holiday

Tourists enjoy a dolphin performance at Nanjing Marine World in Jiangsu province on Sunday. [Yang Bo/China News Service]

Chinese tourists made 133 million domestic trips during the three-day New Year holiday, according to the top tourism authority.

The trips generated tourism revenue of 75.5 billion yuan ($11.6 billion), up by 11.2 percent year-on-year, the China National Tourism Administration said.

"The Summer Palace welcomed almost 93,000 visitors during the holiday, up by 16 percent thanks to the good weather," said Li Kun, a publicity official for the Beijing attraction.

Trips by car and countryside outings were preferred in most areas, the tourism department said.

Famous cities in the south, such as Sanya, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Kunming, were regarded as good destinations for escaping the cold, though some cities in northeastern China, including Harbin, Shenyang and Jilin, welcomed visitors for winter tourism.

On New Year's Eve, themed activities such as gourmet festivals and countdown celebrations attracted a large number of people, according to the tourism administration.

Boundary Island in Hainan province held a bamboo-dancing activity on the beach to welcome the new year.

For safety reasons, Shanghai didn't hold any New Year countdown activities on its well-known Bund, but over 300,000 people still visited the landmark on New Year's Eve, according to the city's Jiefang Daily.

China Railway Corp estimated that about 31 million rail trips were made during the New Year holiday travel rush, an increase of 16 percent compared with last year.

The company added 598 trains to help people get to their destinations during the break.