The number of Shenzhen residents going on trips during the Spring Festival holiday this year is 150,000 less than in 2006.

The weeklong holiday, termed "Golden Week" because of the financial windfall it brings to travel agencies, retailers and the catering industry, is gradually losing its charm for tourists because of price hikes and huge crowds at scenic spots.

More than 4.7 million Shenzhen residents, accounting for 56.8 percent of the city's total population, are planning trips for the coming Spring Festival holiday, during which they will spend 9.59 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion), a survey revealed.

The tourism bureau randomly polled 1,023 locals , of whom 70 percent are hukou (permanent residence permits) holders.

It found that locals have planned their tours more rationally this Golden Week, making sure they avoid huge crowds on roads and at popular scenic spots.

Of those who will travel, about 44.2 percent plan to meet family and friends, 30.9 percent plan to go sightseeing and 19.8 percent -- 5 percent more than last year -- said they just want to spend a leisurely holiday.

Of all the people polled, 42.3 percent said they were going to host relatives and friends in Shenzhen, 7 percent up from last year.

More than 36 percent of the respondents said they would travel outside Shenzhen but inside Guangdong. Their top choices were cities within the Pearl River Delta region like Zhuhai, followed by mountainous regions in the east and north of the province like Heyuan and Qingyuan.

As many as 34.2 percent of the respondents -- up from 27.2 percent in the same period last year -- plan to stay in the city.

Of the polled, 10.2 percent plan to spend the festival overseas, 3 percent more than the figure last year.

As the State Development and Reform Commission has forbidden price hikes in bus fares and train tickets during the holiday, more travelers are planning trips by bus and train.

The survey found that 46.7 percent of those planning trips will travel by bus, 13 percentage points higher than the figure last year. The number of air passengers will drop by 4 percent among local tourists, the survey said. About 29.4 percent of the polled said they will drive themselves.

Editor: Donald