Warm weather and bountiful blossoms coaxed droves of tourists to use the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday as a chance to grab springtime's tail as the country dashes away from frigid winter and toward sweltering summer.

China's biggest online travel agency, Ctrip, saw more than double year-on-year growth in the number of weekend tourists during the holiday over April 2-4.

Paid vacations, increasing disposable incomes and easier availability of visas encouraged more Chinese to travel, says Ctrip's publicity manager, Yan Xin.