Tourists to Shanghai have been fewer this Spring Festival because of the bad weather before the holiday, but more local people enjoyed their holiday in the countryside, officials said yesterday.

The city received more than 2.3 million tourists from both home and abroad during the seven-day holiday, a reduction of 14.8 percent from last year's Spring Festival.

Tourists spent about 1.9 billion yuan (US$263 million) some nine percent less than last year, according to the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission.

Some traditionally popular scenic spots, such as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Century Park were relatively less crowded.

The commission said they had expected that situation as people who had suffered the snow storms were not in the mood to travel.

Tourists would be back once the weather changed for the better, officials said.

Meanwhile, more local people chose to avoid the hustle and bustle of the city and travel to the countryside.

The Chongming County and Songjiang, Fengxian and Qingpu districts have all reported that the agricultural centers have received more visitors this year. The Shanghai Sightseeing Bus Center reported heavy demand for trips to the suburbs.

(Shanghai Daily February 13, 2008)