ChinaFocus:ChinesepeopleembracetourismtocelebrateLunarNewYear_GuangmingOnlineAnaerialdronephototakenonFeb.11,2024showstouristsvisitingascenicareainHuiminCountyofBinzhouCity,eastChina'sShandongProvince.PeopleacrossChinaareenjoyingtheongoingSpringFestivalholidayinvariousways.(PhotobyChuBaorui/Xinhua)BEIJING,Feb.12(Xinhua)--Traditionally,ChinesepeoplestayathomewiththeirfamiliesfortheSpringFestival,alsoknownasChineseNewYear,themostimportantfestivaloftheChinesecalendar.Butmanyfamiliesarenowoptingtotravelduringtheholiday,attractedbyculturalactivitiessuchaslanternshows,flowermarketsandtemplefairsonofferaroundthecountry,ortravelingoverseastodiscovermoreoftheworld.CULTURALACTIVITIESAtBeihaiParkinBeijing,calligrapherscanbeseenwritingtheChinesecharacter"Fu"onred,squarepaperandhandingthedecorationsouttotourists.TheredpostersarestuckontodoorsorwindowstocelebratetheSpringFestival,asthecharactersymbolizesablessingorhappiness."Ifeltveryluckytoreceivea'Fu'posterasagift,andIwilltakehometheblessingitcarries,"saidatouristsurnamedXufromsouthChina'sGuangdongProvince.PublicparksinBeijingreceivedover250,000touristsonFeb.10,thefirstdayoftheYearoftheDragon,surging153.78percentfromtheSpringFestivallastyearand56.41percentfrom2019,accordingtolocalauthorities.Shanghaihaslaunchedmorethan200culturalactivitiesduringtheeight-daySpringFestivalholidaystartingfromFeb.10,includingartexhibitions,playsandfoodfairs,creatingafestiveatmosphereinthecityforbothlocalsandtourists.About1.73milliontouristsvisitedShanghaionChineseNewYear'sDay,up4.58percentyearonyear,datareleasedbytheShanghaiMunicipalAdministrationofCultureandTourismshowed.Accordingtotourismplatformstatistics,domestictravelorderssoared102percentyearonyearontheeveandfirstdayoftheholiday,significantlyexceedingthelevelseenoverthesametwodaysin2019.Beijing,Shanghai,Xi'an,KunmingandHarbinareamongthemostpopulardestinationsthisyear.TowelcometheYearoftheDragon,20lanternshowsfeaturingelementsoftheChinesedragonarebeingstagedattheancientcitywallsinShaanxi'sXi'an,thelargestandbest-preservedancientcitywallsinthecountry."Althoughit'squitecrowdedandcoldatnight,it'sworthcoming!"saidavisitorsurnamedZhoufromBeijing.Hesaidthathis12-year-olddaughterhasrecentlybecomeabigfanoftraditionalChineseclothingandhadbeenlookingforwardtohertriptotheancientcapital.SEEINGTHEWORLD"HappyChineseNewYearfromabroad!IhadagreattimeroamingaroundSingapore!"atouristfromChongqingsurnamedZhangpostedonhersocialmediaonChineseNewYear'sEve.Inherphotos,sheandherdaughterareinsummerclothingandherparentscanbeseentakingpicturesinfrontofgreenery.Althoughthetripwasanimpulsivedecision,itwasonlymadepossiblebyarecentvisa-freetravelpolicyandthefactthatadirectflightfromChongqingtoSingaporetakesjustfivehours.MoreChinesepeoplelikeZhangchosetoringinthisnewlunaryearinaforeigncountry.China'sNationalImmigrationAdministrationhasestimatedthattheChinesemainlandwillseeadailyaverageof1.8millioninboundandoutboundpassengertripsduringtheSpringFestivalholidaythisyear,approximately3.3timeslargerthanlastyear'sfigure.ChengChaogong,chiefresearcherattheTongchengResearchInstitute,whichisaffiliatedwithamajoronlinetravelagency,saidthatcountriessuchasSingaporeandThailandarebecomingtravelhotspotsaftertheirimplementationofvisa-freetravelpoliciesforChinesetourists.Theseoverseastripsareexpectedtogiveastrongimpetustotourismspending,Chengsaid.Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.