Jiuzhaigou, one of China's most popular scenic spots, will welcome more visitors from Beijing when Air China opens direct flights to the region on April 25.

Before that, visiting the national park's waterfalls and brightly colored lakes required Beijing outbound travelers to first transfer in Chengdu, often bumping travel and waiting time up to six hours. Now, as shown on the website of Air China, there will be one flight (code CA4121/2) between Beijing and Jiuzhaigou daily, departing from Beijing International Airport at 11:50 am and arriving at 2:20 pm at Jiuzhaigou Huanglong Airport. Return flights depart at 8:40 am and arriving at 10:50 am; the one-way traveling time is reduced by four hours. To boot, a full price ticket is less than 2,000 yuan one-way, compared to the previous price of at least 3,000 yuan.

In addition, direct flights will commence from Shanghai to Jiuzhaigou on May 10, and Air China will officer a 2,500- yuan "air ticket and hotel accommodation" package service for the upcoming holidays. Call hotline 4008-100-999 or log on to www.airchina.com for details.