Businesses in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, have capitalized on floral-themed offerings to drive tourism and consumer spending, as cherry blossoms the city pink.
At a downtown restaurant, cherry blossom cheesecake soufflés and set meals have drawn crowds.
"The cherry blossom atmosphere here is so strong. I didn't expect that it feels so nice at the restaurant," said a diner tasting the floral dessert.
"We launched cherry blossom-themed promotions. Since early March, the daily diner flow has risen by 15 to 20 percent," said Zou Longpeng, director of the restaurant.
Besides desserts, the city has also provided various new creative blossom-themed scenarios for tourists to enjoy themselves. For example, over 100 potted cherry trees have transformed a shopping avenue into a mesmerizing petal-strewn tunnel in Wuchang District.
A hotel in Guanggu area has decorated its rooms with various cherry blossom patterns, while providing its guests with a map of cherry blossom spots and souvenir boxes.
According to the latest data, online searches of "Wuhan" surged nearly 100 percent week-on-week, while ticket bookings for blossom-viewing sites jumped over five folds. Hotel reservations in Hubei rose 10 percent, with the reservation rate near major cherry blossom spots exceeding 90 percent for late March.
Cherry blossoms fuel tourism in Wuhan
Russia on Thursday announced that its forces shot down more than 200 Ukrainian drones, while the Ukrainian side reported attack on a Russian military airfield over the past 24 hours.
According to a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Thursday, Russian troops targeted Ukrainian military airfield infrastructure, command posts, drone storage facilities, military trains carrying ammunition and weapons, and troop and equipment concentrations across 153 areas in the past 24 hours. It also noted that the Russian army repelled Ukrainian attacks in directions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia, and struck on the Ukrainian personnel and equipment.
The ministry also highlighted the Russian air defense forces interception of 225 Ukrainian drones. In the Kursk region, Russian forces claimed to have destroyed Ukrainian weaponry and two drone control points.
On the same day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that a special forces unit of the Ukrainian Security Service launched a drone attack in cooperation with other defense agencies on the Engels military airfield in Russia's Saratov region earlier the day.
The very airfield is a crucial hub for Russia's strategic aviation deployment with Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers to launch strikes against targets inside Ukraine. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the attack caused an explosion and a fire at the airfield, followed by a secondary explosion.
Governor of Russia's Saratov region Roman Busargin confirmed Thursday that the cities of Saratov and Engels had experienced the most intense drone attack overnight. He stated that 10 people were injured as a result of the attacks. A fire was reported near an airport in Engels, and nearby residents were evacuated.
Russia downs Ukrainian drones, Ukraine hits Russian military airfield
