A tourist takes photos of the sea of clouds on Mount Emei in Sichuan province. (Photo courtesy of Mount Emei Scenic Area)

Traditionally, winter is a low season for the travel industry, but that situation is gradually changing.

During the Spring Festival holiday 2019, which fell between Feb. 4 and Feb. 10 this year, about 400 million Chinese people traveled in or out of the country. After the holiday, the prices of tourist products dropped sharply.

Statistics showed that the price of independent tours in February and March fell by 30 to 40 percent, and outbound travel products dropped by more than 60 percent on average.

Chinese travel services and social networking platform, Mafengwo, said it received 49 percent more bookings in the week following the holiday compared with the same period a year ago.

A person who spent 5,000 yuan on a group tour to Beijing during the Spring Festival holiday would pay only half the price for the same service this week.

It’s an excellent time to travel because the prices are low and the temperatures are climbing, said a manager of online travel service provider Tuniu.com, adding that the number of people traveling during non-holiday periods continues to rise.

Additionally, the number of seniors and students making a trip after the Spring Festival holiday has risen significantly, choosing a travel experience which is both cheaper and more enjoyable.

Xu Xiaolei, manager of marketing at China's CYTS Tours Holding Co., Ltd, said as a rising number of Chinese tourists are avoiding peak season travel, the gap between peak and off-peak seasons in terms of tourist numbers is narrowing.

A sound interaction between tourists and service providers has been established, and travel safety and quality supervision is guaranteed, which also makes people more willing to travel during the off-peak season, said Li Zhongguang, Vice President of the China Tourism Academy.