Making tracks

Cheap and easy

"High-speed rails are more convenient and cheaper than flights and regular trains attract people who didn't think about travel before," Yan says.

"Groups using high-speed rails rather than flights save about 30 percent."

Tourism authorities and scenic spots along routes have introduced discounts, Yan says.

Transportation constrained tourism in the past, China Tourism Leisure Association secretary-general Wei Xiao'an says.

"In the '80s, we had fewer trains. The number of tickets available decided the number of tourists," Wei says.

China has built more than 16,000 kilometers of high-speed track since its first bullet train shot out of the station in 2008. About 10,000 km more are under construction.

Nearly 80 percent of respondents to a recent survey by Chinese online travel agency Tuniu.com report plans to travel by train.

"Shortened travel hours mean visitors don't stay as long," Wei says.

"This means local service providers need to improve their products to not only attract but also keep guests."