Nighttime travelling lights up summer nights in cities across China

Tourists watch a nighttime performance at Hengdian World Studios in east China’s Zhejiang Province. (File photo)

Tourists go sightseeing at a lotus pond inside a botanical garden in Luoyang city, central China’s Henan Province. (Photo/Huang Zhengwei)　　

China’s tourism sector has seen a quick recovery during the summer season. In particular, nighttime travelling has thrived in various localities, with colorful activities being held during the nighttime and with tourists’ consumption demand therefore receiving a boost.

Last month, the Shouxihu Lake scenic spot in Yangzhou city, east China’s Jiangsu Province held an opera-themed tour activity that provided an immersive experience for visitors, with the opera performances having been held at various sites inside the scenic area.

Strolling along the pathways at the Liangma River in Beijing has become a popular option for many local residents and tourists. To further stimulate consumption and drive the development of the nighttime economy, Beijing kicked off a nighttime consumption campaign at the Liangma River, with colorful events scheduled to be launched during the campaign, which will last until November.

Having a night tour at a scenic spot or around a city has been put on the to-do list of many tourists in China. Since July, the search volume for the key words “nighttime travel” has doubled.

Yunnan Province in southwest China, Hubei Province in central China, Jiangsu Province in east China, Guangdong Province in south China, and Hunan Province in central China saw the fastest growth in terms of the number of bookings placed by tourists. In particular, just last week, the number of bookings for travel routes during the night in Yunnan increased 300 percent over the previous week.

Statistics have indicated that the search volume for the key words “night market” has risen by 150 percent over the past nearly one month.

In the first half of the year, the number of admission tickets booked for nighttime sightseeing activities at scenic spots recovered to 70 percent of the level in 2019 on Ctrip, an online travel agency in China. Tourists who have booked admission tickets to experience nighttime activities during the latest nearly half a month surged over 10 times on a monthly basis.

For example, the Hengdian World Studios in east China’s Zhejiang Province has presented a performance called “In the World of Movie,” which lets visitors participate in shows that recreate scenes in some classic movies. The performance has been held over 600 times so far, delivering unforgettable experiences for visitors.

Nighttime travel has become an important factor driving the upgrading of tourism-related consumption, noted Ge Lei, deputy director of a research academy under China Youth Travel Service.

Nighttime travel is closely associated with culture, technology and consumption, each of which can make nighttime travelling more appealing, leading to the introduction of novel travel experiences and helping to boost the recovery of nighttime consumption, Ge added.

Ge noted that nighttime travelling also enables the tourism industry to push for innovations in travel scenarios, travel experiences and tourists’ consumption. Besides, it helps to revitalize the culture of tourist destinations and improves the value of cities where the scenic spots are located, while delivering a tangible sense of happiness to residents.