Short-distance trips are gaining popularity among Chinese tourists as travel agencies suspend trans-provincial group tours during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday to curb the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, comnews.cn reported on Jan. 25.

A tourist visits an ice and snow amusement park in Mohe, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie Jianfei)

The changes in traveling and spending habits of tourists indicate that safety has become a priority in planning a trip, said Ma Yutao, an analyst with online travel agency Mafengwo.

Data from the platform show that since January 2021, in-depth travel and short-distance trips have become attractive to young people, with the keyword search volume of short-distance trips surging by 71 percent.

Mafengwo has witnessed increasing keyword searches related to trips that provide brand-new experiences, such as walking along the traditional hutong alleyways in Beijing, exploring bookstores and cafes in Shanghai, and visiting museums and exhibitions in south China’s Guangzhou.

As the holiday is drawing near, the platform sees a 25 percent rise in the keyword search of self-driving tours, with the most popular destinations including Guangdong and Hainan in south China, Zhejiang in east China, and Yunnan and Guizhou in southwest China.

More tourists will choose off-peak times to travel during the holiday, with plans to make trips from mid-January to late February.