Hot Springs busy for New Year

Hot springs near the city are popular with local travelers booking trips for the three-day New Year's holiday, which runs from January 1 to 3, according to travel agencies in the city.

Fewer people are expected to travel during the break than during the three Golden Week holidays this year as it is too short to venture far from the city.

"The number of tourists booking New Year holiday tours is almost the same with normal weekends," said Jin Fengyi, an official with Shanghai CYTS Tours.

"Most of them will go to the nearby Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and some are going to head for Xiamen in Fujian Province, which is much warmer than Shanghai."

Prices of package tours during the holiday are a bit higher than usual times, as hotels are raising their rates, said Jin.

"A three-day trip to Tangshan hot spring in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, costs about 1,000 yuan (US$125), 200 yuan more than normal for the same itinerary," said Jin.

Some travel agencies are busy adjusting the tour plan for group tourists after the city government issued the holiday schedule on Monday.

[ Source : from chinadaily.com ]