Hiking catching on among young Chinese in balmy weather

Hiking in mountainous terrain is becoming more popular among young Chinese, especially in the pleasant spring weather, surveys find.

Mountainous attractions and destinations such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site Shennongjia Forest, Tengchong, Siming Mountain, Jiuhua Mountain, and Motuo County in Tibet, once known as "a lone island on a high plateau," are particularly popular with the young generation, according to Chinese travel review website Mafengwo.

Based on its search statistics, hiking in Shennongjia has soared by 133 percent over normal.

According to Mafengwo, the popularity index of hiking among travelers across the country has increased by more than 50 percent since March, and searches for spring outings have increased by 166 percent and continue to rise.

Many tourists have begun making travel plans for the Qingming Festival holiday, which falls on April 5, with flower appreciation being the most popular spring tour product. The sales have increased by 250 percent.

Meanwhile, temple tours are becoming popular among some young people as a way to relieve stress and get a short break from the city's hustle and bustle, according to the website.

According to the report, Chengdu, Beijing, Nanjing, Chongqing, Hangzhou and Xi'an are among the most popular spring tourism destinations.

Tongcheng Travel, an online travel operator, reported that searches for floral appreciation tours increased 541 percent in the past month from a year earlier.

Trip.com reported that bookings for some popular routes, such as a trip to Bomi County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region to appreciate peach blossoms, had increased by 160 percent compared with the same period in 2019.

According to the report, people are traveling further this year to enjoy the enchanting floral scenery.