New offerings provide tourists with fresh experiences in summer tourism boom

Regions across China rolled out a slew of measures to increase the supply of quality tourism products, leading to a tourist boom this summer. The emergence of new business formats, models, and scenarios, which met tourists' diverse and personalized travel demands, led to growth in the tourism market, according to multiple travel platforms.

This year, China saw the hottest tourism summer since 2019, with both inbound and outbound tourist trips and tourism consumption hitting a record high, said Dai Bin, director of the China Tourism Academy.

Data from China's service-focused e-commerce giant Meituan showed that bookings in the culture and tourism industries surged over 11 percent year on year this summer.

A report on the tourism market in the summer of 2024 issued by Chinese online travel agency Ctrip highlighted the continued resilience of both domestic and cross-border tourism this summer.

More inbound tourists visiting emerging destinations thanks to improved infrastructure

Visitors, including many from overseas, view the sights at the Palace Museum in Beijing in July. (China News Service/Jia Tianyong)

This summer, inbound tourists increased rapidly, fueled by a series of favorable policies and the improvement in relevant facilities.

During the period, a total of 110 million Chinese and foreign travelers entered or exited China, an increase of 30 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the National Immigration Administration.

Data from Ctrip revealed that inbound tourism orders jumped about 70 percent year by year this summer, with emerging destinations like Chongqing, Zhangjiajie, and Lijiang seeing a staggering increase of over 30 times in inbound tourists.

Lower-tier tourism markets became a highlight of summer tourism. Data from online travel service provider Qunar showed that hotel bookings in fourth- and fifth-tier cities and counties in July and August skyrocketed 113 percent compared to pre-summer levels and surged 24 percent year on year.

Thanks to the continuous improvement of tourism infrastructure, rural areas and lower-tier cities and counties can better meet the travel needs of specific groups, attracting an increasing number of tourists, said Cai Muzi, a researcher with the big data research institute of Qunar.

Integrated tourism: Sports, education, and culture

The integration of tourism with other sectors is creating exciting new experiences. By integrating sports, education, and culture with tourism, consumers can find the perfect match for their interests when planning a trip.

The Paris Olympics ignited a sports tourism boom this summer. Meituan data showed sports-related bookings surged 230 percent year on year between July 1 and Aug. 27, with more than 70 percent of customers aged 20 to 35.

The total bookings of tourists from the Chinese mainland traveling to Paris during the Olympics rose 129 percent year on year, and car rental bookings in Europe increased by 170 percent year on year, according to Ctrip data.

Tourists visit Vanke Songhua Lake Resort in Jilin City, northeast China's Jilin Province, Aug. 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Li He)

Tourism integrated with education was especially popular with families this summer, as summer vacation is a peak season for parent-child trips and family trips, with education tours, recreational vehicle tours, and chartered car services becoming popular.

According to data from Ctrip, bookings for family trips on the platform accounted for a whopping 35 percent of the summer's total, and orders for car rentals during this summer surged 22 percent year on year. The recreational vehicle rental market was particularly hot. On the platform, 49 percent of recreational vehicle renters were first-timers, and families with children made up 65 percent of recreational vehicle renters. Educational tours in China saw an even more dramatic 175 percent year-on-year increase.

This summer, China saw a thriving performance market, and some places where performances were held emerged as tourist destinations.

Museums gained great popularity this summer. Ctrip data showed a double-digit surge in museum visits compared to last year's summer season.

China also launched a series of special cultural and tourism activities, new consumer scenarios and measures to benefit the people, according to an official with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

In Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the "Twelve Hours of Chang'an" theme block that vividly reproduces the urban life of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) introduced multiple activities combining culture and tourism, including collaborations with popular IPs like "A Chinese Odyssey" films and promotions for Hanfu, the traditional attire of the Han ethnic group. Consequently, the theme block received over 7,000 tourist arrivals every day during this summer.