Passengers take trains from Wuxi Raliway Station on Jan 9. [Photo/wxrb.com]

An increasing number of Wuxi locals plan to spend the upcoming Spring Festival holiday away from home.

According to online travel agency Ctrip, the number of bookings from Wuxi increased by 48 percent year-on-year. Wuxi ranks 12th among all Chinese cities in terms of number of travelers for this year's Spring Festival holiday.

Most of the tourists are heading to warm places, including South China's Guangdong province, Southwest China's Yunnan province, Thailand, and Malaysia. Some of them are also heading to North China's Heilongjiang province, Japan, and South Korea.

Many travel agencies promoted tourism packages, some of which include a New Year's dinner in a hotel. "Over 30 percent of all tourists will depart before Jan 25 – the Chinese Lunar New Year. They hope to spend the New Year dinner with their families," said Li Qiuyan, who works at Lvmama, an online travel agency based in Shanghai.

Cruise ships have also been popular among tourists, as a series of performances and tax-free goods are available on them. "It is one of the best choices for a family trip," said a mother of two children surnamed Zhou.

For people looking to enjoy delicious specialties, Huizhou, Zhuhai, and Macao in South China have proved popular.