Neighboring cities of eastern Chinese metropolis Shanghai will witness a rise of tourists between November 4 - 6 because of the swap of working days for the China International Import Expo (CIIE), which creates a three-day holiday for residents in Shanghai, travel agencies said.

The bookings of hotels in Shanghai's nearby destinations during the expo have surged nearly 50 percent within days after the announcement of the schedule change compared with the same period last year, travel agencies said.

"I plan to drive to Shaoxing with my parents because November 5 and 6 are working days for people elsewhere, making the tourist attraction probably less crowded," said Zhou Jinfeng, a Shanghai resident working at an advertisement company. 

Suzhou and Hangzhou are the most popular destinations of Shanghai residents, followed by Nanjing, Wuxi, Shaoxing and Huzhou, according to online travel operator Ctrip based on booking numbers during CIIE.

Xitang, Wuzhen and Tongli are the most popular water towns during the period.

The holiday is a pleasant time for travel because there are not many tourists and autumn landscape is also enchanting, said Zhou Weihong with Shanghai Spring Tour. 

Many tourists book high-star hotels because early November is traditionally the slack travel season, making the prices cheaper, and some youngsters choose Chinese B&B in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.

In addition, high-speed rail tickets to some neighboring cities around 10 a.m. on November 4 are in short supply, travel agencies said.

Travel agencies in the city have also launched special itineraries for the event as Shanghai Spring Tour has developed 120 routes mainly to neighboring cities featuring hot spring and delicacies.

Because November is the peak season of tasting hairy crabs, many Shanghai residents also plan to visit Yangcheng Lake, Taihu Lake and Chongming to sink teeth into the seasonal delicacy during the holiday. 

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