Millions of travelers in China flocked to local destinations for this year's three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

Official data shows more than 124 million took trips to red tourist destinations - or places with historical and modern revolutionary legacy.

According to data from China's largest online travel agency, Trip.com, cities such as Beijing, Yan'an, Zunyi, Shanghai and Nanjing were among the most popular red tourist destinations.

The agency said most tourists visited cities that were close to their homes and many opted to use high-speed railway instead of airplanes. The company said the average travel radius during the holiday was around 338 kilometers.

The Ministry of Transport said Wednesday average daily passenger trips exceeded 41.23 million during the three days. This represented a 52.5% increase on average daily trips recorded during last year's festival.

This year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday began Saturday and ended Monday.

The ministry said the nation's railway system handled about 31.67 million passengers over the holiday - a 58.1% year-on-year increase. Meanwhile, civil aviation officials said it handled about 3.71 million passengers - a 40.1% year-on-year increase. Official data showed travel peaked on the first day of the festival.

Analysts said the increase in trips was a sign of the continuing stable recovery of China's domestic travel and tourism markets. Cheng Chaogong, the chief researcher with a tourism research institute affiliated with Trip.com, said cultural and leisure vacations had been gaining ground.

Despite occasional reports of local Covid-19 transmissions, demand for domestic travel has remained strong throughout the country. Throughout the big holidays in the first half of the year, domestic travel demand has exceeded expectations. The use of online travel agencies has also gained popularity as travelers can more easily personalize their experience or choose prearranged themed getaways.

Trip.com said older travelers opted to go to outdoor-themed tourist destinations while younger travelers booked trips to theme parks, ancient towns, architectural heritage sites and other culturally significant destinations.

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