In-depth travel gains popularity in many Chinese cities

In-depth local travel has become popular with Chinese people in many cities, allowing them to have a new understanding of the cities they live in.

Tourists visit the Museum of Chinese Gardens and Landscape Architecture during the Labor Day holiday in Beijing, capital of China, April 30, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Dongxun)

China Travel Service Zhejiang Co., Ltd. in east China’s Zhejiang Province launched a one-day tour program of this kind, called “searching for the city”, in the provincial capital Hangzhou. Tourists, usually about a dozen per group, walk to historically and culturally significant sites with their guide, who then unveils the hidden stories of these sites for them.

“I feel like I’m in love with the city again,” said Zhang Xueli, who participated in the tour program. The 56-year-old, who has been living in Hangzhou for almost three decades, learnt about the history of many western-style buildings on Nanshan Road, which is not far away from the well-known West Lake scenic area, for the first time thanks to the tour.

“To ensure the quality of the trips, our company learnt the needs of tourists, and made thoughtful preparations for the trips, including carefully choosing the routes followed, and inviting experts and guides to share knowledge during the tour,” said Xie Xi, head of the program, who called the program the brainchild of the company.

In-depth tours for local residents are a manifestation of the upgrading of tourism, observed Luo Yuhong, deputy Party secretary of the company, who called on the tourism industry to offer brand new experiences for tourists as their ways and methods of travel and consumption change.