With the annual summer travel rush underway, China's rural tourism is now enjoying its moment in the spotlight.
According to the travel booking platform Qunar, hotel bookings during this summer cover more than 90 percent of counties and townships nationwide. Among them, hotels in specific areas like northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, southwest China's Sichuan Province, are among the most popular choices.
"In terms of booking growth, Xixian County in Shanxi leads all counties with an increase of over six times. Following closely behind are Jiangle County in Fujian and Lingchuan County in Shanxi, both experiencing growth rates of over three times," said Shi Ke, researcher at Qunar's Big Data Research Institute.
During this summer, a road called "North Zhenjiang Landscape Line" in Deqing County, east China's Zhejiang Province, has experienced a peak in visitor numbers. This route, recognized as one of the nation's top ten picturesque self-driving routes, spans a mere 248 kilometers. Over the last couple of years, there has been a consistent rise in visitor numbers, with a 5.97 percent year-on-year increase in visitors observed since the onset of this year's summer travel season.
The significant increase in visitor numbers has also sparked business growth in surrounding attractions.
"During this summer, there has been a rise in tourist numbers compared to the previous year. Additionally, more independent travelers are opting for self-driving tours from regions including Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou in Jiangsu, as well as Hefei and Nanjing in Anhui," said Wang Minghao, head of Jiangnan Yaowu Tourist Resort at Mogan Mountain.
Analysis from relevant departments of the Ministry of Transport, also pointed out that many village roads are largely promoting the development of the local tourism industry.
"We have conducted forecasts on the visitor traffic at over 100 tourism-themed highway service areas nationwide. The results indicate that this summer, the increase in visitor numbers compared to the same period last year is expected to exceed 30 percent. Rural roads have significantly boosted the development of the tourism industry," said Kong Yaping, director of China Academy of Transportation Sciences.
Meanwhile, the rural areas in northwest China have emerged as popular destinations during this summer vacation, with flight reservations in areas such as Xinjiang experiencing a twofold increase compared with the previous year.
To cope with the summer travel peak, Air China has increased flights on six Xinjiang routes including Altay, Kashgar, and Korla. Southern Airlines launched a fresh route from Beijing Daxing International Airport to Aksu and ramp up flights to Yining and Altay. Eastern Airlines similarly increased flight frequencies from Beijing Daxing International Airport to Xinjiang and other northwest regions.
"During the summer travel rush, Urumqi Tianshan International Airport, has been handling over 100,000 passengers daily and ensuring the takeoff and landing of over 600 flights on a daily basis. Notably, the operation of wide-body aircraft accounts for 27 percent of the total daily flights, significantly surpassing the levels seen during the same period last year," said Zhu Bailin, deputy director of the Operations and Management Committee at the Urumqi International Airport Branch Company.
The surge in rural tourism has led to multiple railway bureaus within the China Railway Group launching specialized tourist trains to meet the growing needs.
For instance, China Railway Urumqi Group has launched a new tourist special train, which departs from Urumqi Station, and visits famous attractions such as Yili, Altay, and Kashgar in sequence over an 11-day period.
In the northernmost province of China, Heilongjiang, the China Railway Harbin Group adds 13 distinctive special tourist trains towards destinations within the province like Yabuli, Yichun, Fuyuan, and Mohe.
Moreover, the China Railway Shanghai Bureau Hefei substation under the China Railway Shanghai Group has actively established tourist hubs at stations like Chaohu East and Changlinhe, launching direct high-speed rail services to tourist attractions. It is anticipated that summer tourist numbers will increase by 25 percent over the previous year.
China embraces rural tourism boom in summer
