Traditional cultural tours flourish in vibrant Mid-Autumn travel market

People make lanterns for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival at the provincial library in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Sept. 14, 2024. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Despite being sandwiched between the summer vacation and the upcoming National Day holiday, the Mid-Autumn Festival has seen a surge in travel bookings, surpassing previous three-day breaks this year, according to reports from various online travel platforms.

According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, China saw 107 million domestic trips made during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, showing a 6.3 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019, based on comparable terms.

Cross-border trips have also seen steady growth. According to data by the National Immigration Administration, during the just-concluded holiday, China saw a total of nearly 5.26 million cross-border trips. The average daily number of cross-border trips exceeded 1.75 million, marking an 18.6 percent year-on-year increase.

According to travel portal Tuniu.com, the primary travel choices for users during the holiday were two-to-three-day self-driving getaways and high-speed rail trips to nearby destinations.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally a time for families and friends to get together and admire the moon, accordingly, activities centered around traditional customs have gained widespread popularity.

A report by online travel services provider Ctrip shows that during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, activities centered on traditional cultural elements, such as attending lantern fairs, watching fireworks, boating to admire the moon, and touring gardens in traditional Hanfu, were all favored choices.

By combining seasonal celebrations and traditional cultural elements, various regions have expanded their consumption and experiential offerings beyond traditional moon-gazing activities, said Cheng Chaogong, the chief researcher of the Tongcheng Research Institute.

For example, the central Chinese city of Wuhan revived a large-scale firework show that had been absent for over a decade, resulting in a 20 percent surge in local tour bookings compared to the previous three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

Meanwhile, scenic spots ideal for moon watching in small towns have caught the eyes of young travellers. For instance, Mingyue Mountain in Yichun, Jiangxi Province, known for its moon-chasing zip line featuring the largest drop in Asia and the "highest mountain lake in the Jiangnan region," has become a popular destination for young people to "chase the moon" during the holiday.

Data from Meituan, one of China's leading online services platforms, shows that from September onward, the number of pre-orders for cultural and tourism activities in Yichun during the Mid-Autumn Festival spiked by 326.9 percent year-on-year.

Notably, this year's Mid-Autumn Festival has also seen a surge in cultural tours to appreciate ancient architecture, thanks to the popularity of the video game "Black Myth: Wukong."

According to data from Ctrip, Shanxi Province, which boasts the largest number of ancient buildings in China, experienced a 16 percent increase in car rental and self-driving tour bookings during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday compared to the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

Historical landmarks prominently featured in the game, such as the Yungang Grottoes, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, Xuankong Temple, and Huayan Temple, have become hotspots for enthusiastic tourists.

"The cultural tourism consumption model that deeply integrates local characteristics and cultural customs has huge development potential. With the increasing demand for tourist flow in local cultural tourism destinations, traditional cultural tourism activities have become the key point to attract tourists this year," said Zhao Huanyan, a senior economist in the tourism and hospitality industry.