Domestic tourists made about 1.45 million trips to the eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province during the Tomb Sweeping Festival, a year-on-year increase of 72.78 percent, local media reported.

The total tourist consumption generated over the three-day holiday hit 1.71 billion yuan (about $261.4 million), up 161.93 percent year-on-year.

Tourists feed seagulls at Zhanqiao Pier, a popular scenic spot in Qingdao during the Qingming Festival. [Photo/guanhai.com.cn]

According to the Qingdao municipal bureau of culture and tourism, the city's 81 A-level scenic spots received 727,100 tourists during the period, up 98.74 percent year-on-year, with operating revenue reaching 18.36 million yuan, up 239.18 percent compared with the same period last year.

Tomb Sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival, was observed on April 4 this year. It is a traditional Chinese holiday during which people pay tribute to their deceased family members, worship ancestors and go on spring outings.

It is the only Chinese public holiday that is also one of the 24 Chinese solar terms, which follow the cycles of nature. Qingming falls on the fourth or fifth day of April, when spring begins.

Tourists pay tribute to those who died for the country at a martyrs' cemetery in Qingdao during the Qingming Festival. [Photo/guanhai.com.cn]

The Laoshan Mountain scenic area has entered its flowering season and this has resulted in a surge in tourist numbers. The scenic area welcomed some 72,100 tourists during the holiday period.

"Most tourists drove from surrounding cities and provinces," said a staff member from the Laoshan Mountain scenic area. "On the second and the third day of the holiday, we received more tourists than the same period in 2019."

Tourists admire spring blossoms at Zhongshan Park in Qingdao over the holiday. [Photo/qingdaonews.com]

Tsingtao Beer Museum, a popular scenic spot in Qingdao, welcomed 10,100 tourists during the holiday, up 1,555.16 percent year-on-year, while the operating income stood at 836,000 yuan, up 1,166.67 percent year-on-year.

"Many Chinese who opted not to travel during the Spring Festival revived their travel plans during the Qingming Festival," said Jin Yu, the brand promotion manager of Tsingtao Beer Museum.

Self-driving tours, rural sightseeing and "red tourism," or revolutionary-themed tourism, proved to be the most popular among tourists, according to the Qingdao municipal bureau of culture and tourism.

People attend activities in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China in Qingdao over the holiday. [Photo/WeChat account: Shinanly]

A large crowd of people walk through a shopping mall in Qingdao during the holiday period. [Photo/qingdaonews.com]