'Flower tours' blossom across China

Visitors enjoy apricot flowers in Hami prefecture, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, during a local apricot festival held on April 11,2015.[Photo by Li Hua/for China Daily]

According to the provincial government, roughly 400,000 tourists made "flower trips" in the first quarter of the year, generating revenue of more than 100 million yuan.

Meanwhile, a 53-hectare cherry blossom park is set to open in Meishan city, Sichuan province, featuring six km of river bank planted with cherry trees. Tens of thousands of flowering cherry trees of more than 20 varieties will be planted in the park over the next two years.

A monthlong festival celebrating peonies will also be held starting April 5 in Central China's Luoyang, a city that has been growing the flowers for more than 1,500 years.

The iconic blossom, which has a rich history and tradition in China, is still little known to foreign visitors, according to an event organizer.

"China's flower tourism has huge potential, but it has to look beyond immediate gains and give due attention to the environment. We have to learn to combine our various flowers with distinctive cultural elements," said Li Tianshu, director of Hua Yuan Travel Company.