A total of 3.5 million people traveled around the coastal city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province during this year's National Day holiday, an increase of 156.4 percent over last year.

This swell of tourists generated 1.5 billion yuan ($224.8 million) from Oct 1 to 7.

Jinshawan District and five other districts and counties were packed with tourists during the past week. They offered multiple entertainment choices for visitors during the Zhanjiang Ocean Week 2016, which encompassed 19 ocean-themed activities such as a sand sculpture exhibition and kite flying competition.

Tourist attractions also received much bigger flocks of visitors than last year. For example, the Hedi Reservoir, the biggest reservoir in Guangdong, attracted 188,900 tourists.

The city government has put forth considerable amount of effort to boost the area's tourism brand with the help of travelers from Northeastern China. Several verified Weibo users with more than 500,000 followers and popular foodie bloggers traveled south on a tour for unique coastal experiences. These special reports on Weibo garnered more than 14.5 million clicks. Domestic and foreign media also covered the innovative tourism promotion.

A group of social media stars turned travelers from Northeast China pose for a photo during their visit to Zhanjiang from Oct 1 to 5. [Photo by Ma Zhijun/zjphoto.yinsha.com]