This spring, slow down and smell the flowers

Zou Qingling, CEO of Lvmama, an online travel agency, said outbreaks nationwide have led people to choose local tours, but they are enriching their experiences in other ways.

"Instead of merely viewing flowers, they're spending nights in homestays to taste local dishes, do parent-child activities and go camping," she said.

According to Zou, some popular activities combined with flower-viewing over the past two years include taking road trips, studying local history, trying local foods, learning about farming, dressing up in traditional clothing and fruit picking.

TravelGo, another online travel agency, said in its report last month that rural-themed flower tours have been popular among primary and middle school students, as their schools tend to let them study and play in nature.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of young tourists have found a new way to enjoy flowers－going sightseeing at night.

In the Fujiabian scenic spot in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, lights outline the beauty of plum blossoms. And in Beijing's Yuyuantan Park, tourists can pose for photos around flowers at night to avoid the crowds during the day, TravelGo said in the report.

Cheng Si contributed to this story.