(Yicai) Feb. 5 -- The popularity of attractions and activities featuring Chinese intangible cultural heritage increased 30 percent to 40 percent during this year’s Chinese New Year holiday week, with many foreign tourists visiting China.

The search popularity of intangible cultural heritage sites, including Kaifeng in Henan province, Putian and Fuzhou in Fujian province, and Xi’an in Shaanxi province, more than doubled during this Chinese New Year holiday, with some of them recording a 20 percent to 40 percent increase in tourism orders in the period, according to data from major travel platforms, such as Trip.Com and Tongcheng Travel.

Tourists from first-tier and new first-tier cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, were the most enthusiastic to travel, according to Chinese travel agency Tuniu.

In terms of age, those born in the 1980s accounted for nearly half of the travelers during the Chinese New Year holiday, while those from the 90s and 70s made up 22 percent and 13 percent, respectively, Tuniu data also showed.

Overseas tourists to China also surged during the holiday. According to Trip.Com, their top 10 countries of origin were South Korea, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Russia, Australia, and France.

Among them, short-haul inbound trips from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand soared 130 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, long-haul inbound trips from France, Spain, Italy, Canada, and Australia jumped nearly 120 percent.

Homestays by overseas tourists were also very popular. As of yesterday, the number of homestay bookings made by holders of non-Chinese passports during the Lunar New Year holiday climbed 3.7-fold, with 51 towns receiving tourism orders from foreign visitors for the first time, according to leading Chinese online lodging marketplace Tujia.Com.

Editor: Futura Costaglione