Getting up close and personal with nature

Volumes of online searches for information on trips to see flowers in China and abroad are surging, according to travel agency Ctrip.

With glorious spring fast-approaching and temperatures rising throughout the nation, the country is now festooned with flowers, from cherry blossoms to magnolia and lilac－and flower lovers in China have never been so enthusiastic.

Ctrip, China's largest online travel agency, reports that in March, the volume of searches for information about dazzling golden cole flowers, as well as for peach blossoms and cherry blossoms, has surged more than 500 percent on February's levels.

The agency said the most popular destinations include Wuyuan, Jiangxi province, and Luoping, Yunnan province, places to enjoy the vibrantly yellow cole flowers, from the mustard family, as well as taking in exquisitely fragrant peach blossoms at West Lake, Hangzhou, and Nyingchi in Tibet autonomous region.

To pave the way for enthusiasts, a series of special flower-viewing trains have been added between Nanchang, the provincial capital of Jiangxi province, and Wuyuan, famous for its cole flowers and countryside views.

Flower viewing and rural tourism have also become a new hot spot for related commerce in Jiangxi province. By the end of last year, there were more than 100 major established sites for flower viewing, and more than 1,000 various other spots, with most flower viewers living locally or in surrounding areas, according to jxnews.com.

Thanks to more available flights and promotions launched by the scenic spots, the prices of flower-viewing trips have become cheaper than in previous years. For example, a number of sightseeing spots in the Tibet autonomous region introduced free admission.

"Ctrip and Tibet Airlines together introduced special flights to Nyingchi in Tibet, and it costs about 4,000 yuan ($642) to 8,000 yuan for a group tour to the area, cheaper than the usual price tag of over 10,000 yuan," said Peng Liang, public relations director of the vacation department at Ctrip.