The number of Chinese people traveling by vehicle rose 9.7 percent to 363 million during the National Day holiday, said the Ministry of Communications on Sunday.

A total of 760,000 medium- and large-sized passenger vehicles, including 70,000 tour buses, were used to deliver travelers, said Xu Yahua, an official with the ministry.

He said the passenger flow peak came on October 1 and 6 with 52.8 million and 53.5 million people on tour respectively.

According to the official, short trips were more popular compared with long-distance tours. Famous scenic spots such as Huangshan and Jiuzhaigou were still favored by tourists.

Beijing received a larger amount of tourists as people across the nation swarmed in to have a look at the fresh painted Olympic venues.

The quality of vehicles and road conditions were improved, said the official, adding that all-level transportation departments had stepped up supervision over road traffic safety.

He also said more people drove their own cars to visit neighbouring regions during the past week.

The Chinese government launched Golden Week holidays in 1999, encouraging people to travel and spend money. The holidays have been a boon for China's transportation, catering and retail sectors.

(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2007)