Qingdao ranks 7th among popular domestic tourist attractions in China during the National Day holiday. Authorities reported 2.14 million person-trips to the Shandong province city during the seven-day holiday, a year-on-year increase of over 20 percent.

Tourism revenues increased 24.8 percent during the holiday, compared with the same period last year, to more than 2.4 billion yuan.

The figures were announced at a recent news conference held by the city’s travel bureau.

A city spokesman said high-end tourist programs were especially popular this year, including luxurious yacht tours, island tours, sea fishing, golf, recreational and health therapy, and wedding tours. During the National Day holiday, the famous islands such as Lingshan Island received more than 10,000 person-trips per day, and the city’s six major golf courses received 21,000 person-trips per day.

In addition, self-guided tours have become a mainstream activity. Independent tourists accounted for more than 60 percent of the total of person-trips, and the proportion was even higher at suburban tourist spots.

Among 120,000 vehicles driven to the city by vacationers, more than 110,000 were because of self-driving tours, which showed that Qingdao has become one of the preferred destinations for tourists taking independent tours, the spokesman said. A series of new landmarks such as Qingdao’s grand theater, beer museum and wine estate also contributed to the city’s thriving tourism.

According to a survey released by China Tourism Research Institute and Ctrip.com, the city ranks No 7 among the Top 10 domestic tourist destinations in China.

By Hao Nan