Gasping for getaways

Students and teachers wear face masks during a smoggy day in late December. [Photo/]China Daily]

"Most visitors were from northern China," he says.

"They wanted to escape both the smog and the cold."

Also popular was a six-day tour through Sichuan's capital, Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou, Dujiangyan and Huanglong. Spring Festival visits currently cost about 5,000 yuan on Ctrip.

While travel agencies have in the past month caught on to pitching clear skies, it has been three years since Fujian broadcast an ad, coaxing visitors to enjoy its clean air with the slogan: "Take a deep breath. You're in Fujian."

But while some Chinese destinations have benefited from the rush to flee smoggy skies, air pollution has curbed inbound tourism for years.

The CNTA's China Tourism Academy blames pollution for the contraction of visitors from overseas since 2012.

Indeed, it seems not only Chinese travel dreams are divined by the skies.

Contact the writers through yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn