BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Long queues at famous tourist attractions are no longer the defining image of China's holiday travel season, as more travelers seek immersive and personalized experiences beyond traditional sightseeing.
From county getaways and industrial heritage sites to museums and art galleries, China's tourism market during the recent May Day holiday showed growing signs of diversification, with travelers increasingly drawn to experiences that felt more interactive, immersive and personally rewarding.
SAVORING RURAL LEISURE
In Diaoyuan Village in east China's Jiangxi Province, the holiday atmosphere was filled with the laughter of families participating in rural activities. Parents and children caught chickens and fish, harvested vegetables, and immersed themselves in pastoral life.
"No long lines, no crowds. Big cities rarely offer this kind of fun and relaxation. I wanted my child to experience the simple joys of rural life," said Zhang Qiongyi, a tourist from south China's Guangdong Province.
This experience reflects a broader trend in the rise of county tourism, as travelers increasingly bypass crowded metropolitan areas in favor of smaller, lesser-known destinations that offer a slower pace of life.
According to Tongcheng Travel, a leading Chinese online travel agency, bookings for travel products related to county-level destinations jumped 128 percent year on year during the holiday, outpacing the growth in provincial capitals.
The growing demand has also spurred a supply-side upgrade. Counties are improving infrastructure and creating unique cultural tourism IPs, such as local cuisine, farming experiences and folk events, to provide distinctive travel options.
High-quality accommodation is rapidly expanding into lower-tier markets. Data from Tongcheng showed a 76 percent year-on-year increase in bookings for high-end hotels and a 92 percent year-on-year surge for homestays in county-level regions during the holiday, with some fully booked two weeks in advance.
Behind such popularity is China's policy support. According to the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), measures will be taken to develop county economies with unique features.
INDUSTRIAL TOURISM BOOM
This holiday, Zhou Junyu, a primary school student from east China's Jiangsu Province, marveled at the vintage cars and smart workshops in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province and widely known as the cradle of China's automobile industry.
"I love studying cars. Seeing the history and technology here is so cool," said Zhou, who was visiting China's leading automaker FAW Group's site.
The company has transformed key industrial landmarks into an integrated tourism and educational program featuring automobile history, manufacturing processes, brand culture and hands-on activities. Since July 2024, the tour routes have welcomed more than 350,000 visitors.
Jilin, one of China's traditional industrial bases, is turning its industrial heritage into vibrant cultural attractions. It is not alone in China's latest travel trend, as once-dreary assembly lines filled with noise and machinery have evolved into must-see destinations for travelers across the country.
Through interactive activities, science lectures and face-to-face talks with engineers, visitors can dive deep into the workings of intelligent manufacturing.
Official data showed that, at the end of 2025, China had 264 national-level and nearly 500 provincial-level industrial heritage projects.
The market size of the country's industrial tourism industry is expected to exceed 300 billion yuan (about 43.8 billion U.S. dollars) by 2029.
"Industrial tourism is a nexus where secondary and tertiary industries converge," said Chen Wei, an expert from Tsinghua University. "As a strategic move in building a modern industrial system, it can fuel consumption, expand domestic demand and promote industrial science education."
MUSEUM AS HANGOUTS
Driven by rising cultural tastes, many young Chinese are now turning museums and galleries into new social spaces. Zhang Yutong, a student at Shenyang City University who often visits art galleries and museums, is one of them.
"Among my friends, the most popular way to hang out is going to exhibitions," she told Xinhua. "It always offers a chance to deepen our bonds. Exploring the stories behind the exhibits together and sharing our thoughts are much more rewarding than ordinary entertainment, and it helps bring people close together."
"For young people, visiting exhibitions is a lifestyle that integrates socializing, leisure and self-expression," said Si Yawei, an associate professor at Liaoning University. "It builds a relaxed bridge for social interaction based on shared cultural experiences."
Beyond social connection, the trend is also boosting the cultural economy, as young visitors sample venue-exclusive food and drinks and purchase creative souvenirs.
Data from a joint report by Dianping, a popular review platform in China similar to Yelp, lifestyle platform Meituan and ticketing platform Maoyan showed that user-generated content related to exhibitions and museums grew by 24 percent year on year in 2025.
Observers believe this year's holiday travel trends point to a growing appetite for deeper, more meaningful and diverse leisure experiences.
Value-added tax invoice data released Wednesday by China's State Taxation Administration showed sales revenue in consumption-related industries rose 14.3 percent year on year during the May Day holiday, while cultural services surged 42.3 percent.
According to Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, the integrated development of culture and tourism will be a focus for boosting the tourism sector during China's 15th Five-Year Plan period. Efforts should be made to create new cultural experience venues and novel tourism consumption settings for visitors. ■
