The 2023 Dragon Boat Festival was extremely popular, with 106 million domestic trips across the country – a 32.3% increase from the previous year and a recovery of 112.8% compared to 2019. Domestic tourism revenue also increased by 44.5% to reach 37.31 billion yuan, comparable to 94.9% in the same period in 2019.
Bookings for short and medium-distance trips to the periphery are booming.
Although the Dragon Boat Festival holiday in China is shorter than the May Day holiday, thanks to the resumption of more international flights, the popularity of outbound tourists during the Dragon Boat Festival has dramatically increased compared with the May Day period.
According to Ctrip data, unlike the “special forces” model that emerged during the “May Day” travel wave, many tourists have begun to return to the state of traveling to enjoy life, with “enjoyment itself” as the primary goal, pursuing “relaxation” travel, and immersive travel experience fun.
Demand for cultural tourism increases
The data indicate that cultural tourism increased significantly during China’s Dragon Boat Festival holiday. Tourists are increasingly interested in visiting scenic spots offering folk customs experiences, cultural performances, cultural museums, and ancient sites. Popular choices include cultural and scenic spots such as Yunnan Ethnic Village, Wuhan Yellow Crane Tower Park, Beijing Summer Palace, Hefei Baogong Ancestral Hall, Nanjing Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Zone, and cultural museums. Many scenic destinations in China also offer exciting activities related to the folk culture of the Dragon Boat Festival. These activities include dragon boat racing, rice dumpling making, and bag sewing.
Music festivals, exhibitions, and performing arts theaters are popular cultural activities that attract many destinations. Examples include the “Tang Tang Secret Box” in Xi’an Datang Everbright City, Songshan Music Festival, and the Shenzhen Longhua UAV Lantern Dragon Show, which offer unique and exciting experiences popular with tourists, especially younger ones.
