Seeing instead of being there a safer way for scenic views

It has been more than a month since the nationwide outbreak of the novel coronavirus. To avoid possible infection, most people have been forced to stay at home.

To relieve them of their boredom, they have "traveled" around the world with their mobile phones.

Since early February, the time people spent looking at travel content and pictures, destination guides and watching livestreaming programs of others traveling online has gradually climbed.

The length of time per week spent on these tours is higher than the level recorded before the outbreak, according to Fliggy, Alibaba's online travel service provider.

Bangkok, Tokyo and the island of Phuket in Thailand top the list of foreign destinations that Chinese tourists would like to search for online. Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, Chengdu in Sichuan province, and Chongqing are most popular domestic destinations, Fliggy found.

"Nothing can prevent the pursuit of travel in the heart of Chinese consumers. We expect that once the crisis is over and when people can tour out of their homes, those tourism destinations will embrace a large number of travelers," said Huang Yuzhou, vice-president of Fliggy.

AutoNavi Software Co, also known as Gaode Map, has seen the high popularity of its audio programs online. It allows people to listen to the introductions of various sightseeing spots at home, and the audio includes the history, science, geography and ancient Chinese literature of different places.

Launched in October, the audio service now covers more than 1,000 scenic spots nationwide. Its content includes an introduction of the delicious food of the historic water town of Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, a visit to a history museum in Shaanxi province with an internet celebrity and a series of explanations by Ma Weidu, a famous Chinese connoisseur.

"Consumers will be able to search the names of scenic spots on Gaode Map on their phones and purchase the audio programs or listen for free to different programs. During the Spring Festival, more than 5 million people listened to the programs," said Wang Xu, director of the intelligent scenic spots unit of Gaode Map.

Trip.com Group, China's largest online travel agency, said it launched a group of livestreaming programs by its tour guides and other experienced travelers on Chinese video platform Kuaishou. There are livestreaming programs of scuba diving by a professional coach, self-driving road trips around the United States by experienced travelers and tours of Bali, Indonesia.

Trip.com also launched audio programs of more than 3,000 scenic spots in China and abroad. They include the introduction of historical sites, museums, natural scenery, city views, zoos and botanical gardens.

"I had to cancel my trip to Japan because of the unexpected epidemic and I was so disappointed. Now, I am forced to stay at home and I must find some entertainment for myself. I listened to some travel audio programs online and I can't wait to go traveling once the disease is over," said Gao Haibo, a 30-yearold teacher in Beijing.