Jinan receives over 1.3m tourists over Qingming Festival holiday

Jinan, capital city of East China's Shandong province, saw a boom in tourism over the three-day Qingming Festival holiday from April 5 to 7.

Tomb-sweeping Day or Qingming Festival, is an important occasion for Chinese people to honor their ancestors. Many also spent the three-day holiday on leisure travel.

According to statistics from the Jinan culture and tourism bureau, 17 scenic spots including Qianfo Mountain, Jinan Botanical Garden and Baotu Spring Park welcomed a total of 1.3 million tourists, generating revenue of 30.05 million yuan ($4.5 milion).

Fourteen hotels and rural homestays received 8,200 tourists, a year-on-year growth of 12.3 percent, and received an income of 5.01 million.

Tourists still show a strong preference for natural scenic spots. Jinan Botanical Garden attracted around 43,000 tourists with its blooming tulips, rape flowers and peonies. Peach blossoms and rape flowers in Shanghe county and Gangcheng district also lured many tourists.

Folk cultural activities are also popular among tourists. An increasing number of people chose to visit the folk culture temple fair held at Qianfo Mountain Scenic Spot and the 14th matchmaking festival featuring drama performances, handicrafts and local snacks.

Red tourism is a highlight during the Qingming Festival. A total of 150,000 tourists visited the grave sites of revolutionary martyrs in Jinan. Laiwu Battle Memorial Hall and Jinan Battle Memorial Hall received 21,000 and 27,000 people, respectively.