WINTER was once a slow season for Qingdao tourism, but this year is an exception. The number of visitors to indoor attractions has surged and folk culture and hot springs were popular.

    Qingdao launched a series of travel packages between December and March which feature travel, shopping, entertainment, cuisine and accommodation. The largest discounts yet have also been offered to tourists, including a nearly 50-percent discount on tickets to Laoshan Mountain during slow seasons.

    Apart from popular attractions, a group of four-and-five-star hotels also offer discounted rooms. Airlines also offered discounts of up to 70 percent on group tickets for 20 specified travel agencies in Qingdao. Shandong Airline, in particular, has provided visitors with packages of discounted airline tickets and four-star hotel accommodation from Dec. 1.

    Popular tourism destinations and prices have helped attract a lot of visitors and a list of travel agencies and attractions have seen significant growth in the number of visitors compared with the same period last year.

    (Jane Lai, Fu Jun)