These short tours, including those on agricultural, ecological,fitness and leisure themes, can benefit the health of travelers as well as bring innovation in traditional tourism products, said SunGang, vice director of the China National Tourism Administration.

The series of short-distance tours were themed as a "return to nature", by providing a more relaxing atmosphere to travelers and avoiding long distance trouble as well as noisy and crowded cities.

"In the past, I would travel long distances with my family during the seven day vacation," said Zheng Haimeng, who registered for a Shanxi tour with the China Youth Travel Service. "But in famous downtown scenic spots, there were more people than beautiful scenery. I believe the situation will be different this year."

When private cars became popular, more and more Chinese people chose to drive on short tours. Some of them eagerly checked the route online and booked for hotels early. The hotels in the suburbs of Beijing were expected to receive many tourists during the seven-day vacation.

In the past eight seven-day vacations, over 60 percent of travelers toured within the province or within the region. Expertspredict the short-distance tour market has great potential.

The tour to the suburbs and countryside will help relax city dwellers as well as reduce the gap between urban and rural areas, said Wu Bin, an employee with Spring Autumn Travel Agency.

(People's Daily April 14, 2003)