BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A survey conducted by China Youth Daily revealed that 85 percent of 1,333 respondents prefer outdoor activities in spring, so that they can get closer to nature.

Flower viewing emerged as the most popular way to enjoy spring, followed by camping and flying kites, according to the survey published by the newspaper on Thursday.

During the three-day Qingming Festival holiday last week, bookings for scenic spots known for vibrant flowers increased by 3.9 times year on year, according to China's online travel agency Ctrip.

The survey also showed that about 45 percent of the respondents chose tree planting as their favorite outing activity while 36 percent prefer doing exercise outdoors.

Spring outing was considered an opportunity to slow down pace of life by 62 percent of the respondents, while 52 percent said they hoped to make more friends through these activities.