(Yicai) Feb. 19 -- The number of Chinese people setting out on local holidays over the eight-day Spring Festival holiday break surged this year and spending is now higher than it was before the pandemic.

Some 474 million trips were made in China from Feb. 10 to Feb. 17, a jump of 34.3 percent from a year earlier and a gain of 19 percent from the same period in 2019, according to official data.

Tourists’ spending climbed 7.7 percent from the same period in 2019, and soared 47.3 percent from 2019 to CNY632.7 billion (USD87.9 billion), according to official data.

Visitors throng the Temple of Heaven in Beijing and pray for blessings during the Year of the Dragon.

Tourists admire the first pit of the Terracotta Army in central Shaanxi province.

Visitors have fun at the Harbin Ice and Snow World in northeastern Heilongjiang province as winter holidays become a popular escape for those who live in the south of the country.

Others opt to chill out on the beaches in the island getaway of Sanya, southern Hainan province.

The Confucius Temple in Nanjing, eastern Jiangsu province is packed with visitors eager to take part in the Lantern Show.

Editor: Kim Taylor