BEIJING - More than 132,000 tourists flocked to Xiangshan Park for the opening of its annual festival of color at the weekend, breaking last year's record of 124,000.

The park in the west of Beijing, also known as the Fragrant Hills, will hold the 23rd Red Leaves Festival until Nov 6.

"As the leaves turn red, we're slowly seeing an increase in tourists," said Liu Guodong, head of the park's administration office. "If the temperature is good, we're confident the total number of tourists this year will reach the highest in history."

The best time for appreciating the leaves is in late October, Liu said.

"Only 35 percent of the leaves have turned red now, but more than 50 percent will turn by next week if the temperature is right. By then, we may have received about 200,000 visitors," he added.

More than half of the tourists are from other provinces, with around 20 percent students, according to data provided by the administration office.

Cai Zhiyang, a tourist from Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, said he was in Beijing for a three-day tour.

"The scenery relieves me from the pressure of work," Cai said as he admired the views of Xiangshan Park. "Although, it'd be better if there were fewer people."

To cope with the large crowds, all employees are working weekends, while the 16,000-square-meter park has also increased the number of ticket windows from eight to 40.

"We've thought of every detail, such as putting more dustbins along the mountain trails," said Yao Jiang, the park's deputy director.

As the Fragrant Hills are expected to receive massive crowds at weekends for the festival, visitors are being advised to arrive on weekdays instead.

"For retired people, weekdays are better as it's more sedate and safe," Yao said.