Travelers seek deeper experiences during Dragon Boat Festival

During the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival holiday from June 19 to 21, while popular destination cities continue to draw visitors, tourists are increasingly heading to niche and non-traditional destinations. According to a new report, travelers have shifted from conventional sightseeing and photo-taking to immersive experiences that have emotional resonance.

A Dragon Boat Festival travel trends report released on Friday by online travel platform LY.com shows that bookings for cross-provincial packages of flights and accommodation surged by more than 90 percent month-on-month over the past week. Searches largely focused on destinations hosting major cultural and sports events. Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces rank among the top five for flight searches.

A vibrant holiday atmosphere and a growing number of cultural and sporting events are driving new consumption patterns that blend culture, tourism and sports.

Buoyed by the Aranya Theater Festival, accommodation bookings in Beidaihe, Hebei province, rose 120 percent week-on-week in the lead-up to the holiday, as of Thursday.

By Thursday, more than 12 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across China had officially launched Dragon Boat Festival celebrations. Traditional dragon boat races have evolved into immersive cultural experiences, often combined with markets, folk performances and displays of intangible cultural heritage.

Demand for accommodation in cities famous for dragon boat culture, such as Guangzhou and Foshan in Guangdong province, and Yichang in Hubei province, has surged as travelers flock to watch the races.

Many young travelers are using the three-day break to visit small cities within a two- to three-hour drive from major urban centers. These emerging destinations offer diverse and immersive experiences, such as learning traditional craftsmanship, enjoying fresh farm produce, and experiencing rural lifestyles. Increasingly, young people are extending their stays in county-level destinations rather than opting for brief weekend trips.

For overseas travel, Chinese tourists are seeking fresh experiences in established destinations across East and Southeast Asia, such as exploring distinctive cafes and local neighborhoods. Many are also venturing to off-the-beaten-path destinations that offer visa-free or visa-friendly entry and direct flight connections. One example is Irkutsk in Russia, accessible via direct flights from Beijing and known for its proximity to the unique natural and cultural landscapes of Lake Baikal.

Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen and Chengdu are the top five departure cities for outbound travel during the holiday period. Meanwhile, Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney rank as the leading source cities for inbound tourism.