The Songcheng Park in Hangzhou (Photo/Xinhua)

Domestic Chinese tourism brands are on the rise thanks to improvements in service quality and innovative marketing ideas, said a recent big data report on China’s tourism, jointly issued by online tourism service provider Mafengwo and China Tourism Academy.

These brands have built a batch of popular tourism products especially favored by the younger generations, the report noted.

Theme parks were a primary battlefield of the Chinese tourism market in 2018. Statistics showed that Chimelong Safari Park in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou was the most popular theme park in China last year, welcoming even more visitors than the Shanghai Disney Resort.

In recent years, the Chimelong Safari Park attracted many young tourists by participating in TV reality shows and holding music festivals, gradually building a brand of its own.

Additionally, cultural theme parks, such as the Tang Paradise in Xi’an and the Songcheng Park in Hangzhou, also saw a rising number of visitors. They were respectively ranked the third and fourth most popular theme parks in China last year.

Apart from theme parks, other sub-sectors of the tourism industry have also created competitive brands, the hospitality industry being one of them.

According to a report issued last April, local Chinese hotel brands accelerated their development. They are now adept in internet marketing and understand the demand of Chinese consumers.

“The rise of domestic tourism brands reflects the industry’s transition from a traditional to modern development mode,” said Feng Rao, head of Mafengwo's research department.

2018 marked the first year for China’s combination of culture and tourism, and the tourism market will continue to release potential and witness the emergence of more innovative tourism brands offering quality and personalized products this year, Feng added.