Rural tours, niche travel routes gain popularity among int'l tourists to China

With more relaxed visa policies introduced by the Chinese government, rural tours exploring local intangible cultural heritage and niche travel routes in China's lower-tier cities and even counties have emerged as the top choice for many inbound tourists during the National Day holiday, providing them with a deeper insight into the country.

In Huangling Village of Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, villagers performed the wooden-bench dragon dance, an intangible cultural heritage show where wooden benches are linked together to form a dragon adorned with various lantern decorations. This vibrant dance captivated numerous tourists.

"It's great, it's magic. And there was something about a dragon with some lanterns, and it was great, it was amazing. And after that, they fire some fireworks. So, it was great," said a tourist from Colombia.

In addition to rural tours to experience Chinese intangible cultural heritage, many tourists from countries such as the United States and Australia have been touring the Three Gorges -- Qutang, Wuxia, and Xiling gorges -- on the Yangtze River, combining cruises and hiking.

The route stretches from southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality to Yichang in Hubei Province, central China, passing through the Wushan Mountain and Wanzhou District in Chongqing.

"When I came to Wushan, I was so surprised how beautiful Wushan is. I never knew that Yangtze was so beautiful with such big mountains," said Deborah, a tourist from the United States.

"Having been here for a week or so, I found everyone to be just delightful. I would tell all my friends to come," said Richard, another American tourist.

Due to the large number of foreign tourists, this niche travel route has even gained popularity among young people in China.

On a night cruise adventure on the Yangtze River, tourists from both home and abroad sang and danced together to enjoy the holiday.

"I've been to a lot of places in China, and I've seen a lot, like, 16 cities. Especially about Wanzhou is first for me, it's further away from the big city, what makes it unforgettable for me on this trip," said Jonathan, a tourist from Germany.

The National Day holiday, spanning from Tuesday to the following Monday this year, marks a peak season for tourism in China.

Rural tours, niche travel routes gain popularity among int'l tourists to China

Rural tours, niche travel routes gain popularity among int'l tourists to China

Rural tours, niche travel routes gain popularity among int'l tourists to China

Rural tours, niche travel routes gain popularity among int'l tourists to China

Rural tours, niche travel routes gain popularity among int'l tourists to China

Rural tours, niche travel routes gain popularity among int'l tourists to China

Domestic travel in China hit record highs both in 2025 and during the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli said on Saturday.

The minister made the statement in briefing news media on China's travel boom in the past year and this year's Spring Festival holiday running from Feb 15 to 23, at a press conference on people's livelihood on the sidelines of the fourth annual session of the 14th National People's Congress.

"This year's Spring Festival holiday saw a surge in China's culture and tourism market. During the nine-day holiday, the country recorded 596 million domestic tourist trips, with tourism spending surpassing 800 billion yuan (about 115.93 billion U.S. dollars), both setting new records," Sun said.

The travel surge during the Spring Festival holiday season was merely a snapshot, the minister said, adding that the past year witnessed thriving momentum across the culture and tourism sectors.

"Data show that the business revenue of enterprises above the designated size (those each with an annual revenue of 20 million yuan or more) in culture and related industries hit 15 trillion yuan in 2025, up 7.4 percent year on year, while their total profits reached 1.4 trillion yuan, up 6.5 percent year on year. In terms of tourism, domestic tourist trips by Chinese residents exceeded 6.5 billion, up more than 16 percent year on year, with tourism expenditure reaching 6.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.5 percent -- setting new records in both the volume and spending," Sun said.

The annual session of the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, opened on Thursday and is scheduled to run till March 12.

China's domestic travel hits record highs in 2025: official