The Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission said short-term tours were more popular among local tourists this year with most people opting to drive for a short trip.

"Vehicles going out of Shanghai increased about 17 percent over the last National Day holiday," said Li Ping, an official with the commission.

About 118,000 tourists went to the suburbs or surrounding provinces through the Shanghai Sightseeing Bus Center. The Oriental Land, Zhouzhuang Town, Wuzhen Town, Zhujiajiao Town and the Shanghai Wildlife Park were the five hottest scenic spots for one-day tour packages.

Tianmu Lake in Jiangsu Province, Hangzhou City and Yandang Mountain in Zhejiang Province were the most popular two-day tours, said the center.

Yuyuan Garden was the most popular scenic spot downtown as it held the "China Day" activity during the holiday. More than 2.1 million tourists went to the garden which has a 450-year history, said the commission.

(Shanghai Daily October 6, 2008)