Qingdao welcomes more tourists during tomb-sweeping festival

Statistics from the Qingdao Tourism Development Committee show that more than 4.14 million tourists visited local scenic spots in Qingdao, Shandong province during the three-day tomb-sweeping festival, a year-on-year increase of 12.32 percent.

Tourism revenue for the holiday reached 5.50 billion yuan (about $872.28 million), up 18.07 percent compared to the same period last year.

One-day or two-day self-catering road trips, indoor theme park visits, and cultural tourism are the most popular among tourists.

Flower-themed road trips are quite popular in Qingdao during the three-day tomb-sweeping festival. [Photo/iqilu.com]

Flower-themed road trips are becoming more and more popular. The number of visitors to scenic sites noted for their flowers, such as Mianhua Mountain, Daze Mountain, and Chanshan Mountain, has increased substantially.

What's more, different districts and areas which make the most of their own characteristics to create distinctive tourism brands and products are also attracting visitors. For example, the number of tourists on a visit to "Azalea Festival" in the Dazhu Mountain Scenic Area increased explosively during the tomb-sweeping holiday.

Due to the strong winds, many indoor theme parks were unprecedentedly popular with families with kids during the holiday. More than 31,000 tourists visited Qingdao Haichang Polar Ocean World, up 63.50 percent over last year's holiday. Qingdao Forest Wildlife World received over 22,000 visitors, and Qingdao Fantawild Dreamland welcomed 36,400, a record high.

The Qingdao Haichang Polar Ocean World is packed with visitors during the three-day tomb-sweeping festival. [Photo/iqilu.com] 

With the increasing cultural demands of tourists and the expanding online popularity of the cultural creative products from the Palace Museum in recent years, museums and art galleries have also become tourist resorts for young people.

University Avenue, considered as the most literary avenue of Qingdao, was flooded with people all day long during the festival. Huangxian Road, where cultural and artistic establishments gather, like the Former Residence of Lao She (one of China's most significant authors), Huangdao Bookstore and Giraffe Cafe, were also highly popular, according to a field study made by local media on April 7.

The government also designed several museum tourist routes for tourists with different demands and interests during tomb-sweeping festival.

According to the Qingdao Tourism Development Committee, with the continuous transformation and upgrading of tourism products, traditional tourism in the city will accelerate its transformation to deep tourism and global tourism.