Data from Meituan indicates a significant increase in travel interest in Yichang during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, with traditional cultural experiences gaining popularity among tourists.
According to a manager at a relevant scenic area, over the past three years, there has been a growing willingness among younger tourists to actively experience and spontaneously promote traditional folk customs.
This year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday saw a peak in visits to Chinese folk culture-themed scenic spots. As a core origin of Dragon Boat Festival culture, Yichang experienced particularly high holiday demand.
Figures from Meituan show that during the festival period, bookings for five-star hotels in Yichang increased by 55% year-on-year, while searches for "Yichang cuisine" rose by 34%.
In a forecast list of popular folk-custom scenic spots for the Dragon Boat Festival, Yichang's Qu Yuan Hometown Cultural Tourism Zone ranked first.
The scenic area manager, Zhang Haixia, noted that this Dragon Boat Festival, the zone will offer a full suite of traditional activities including making zongzi, the "shooting the five poisons" game, weaving five-color bracelets, and intangible cultural heritage performances.
Based on booking data from platforms like Meituan, it is estimated that visitor numbers during the holiday will increase by nearly 10% compared to last year.
Zhang Haixia stated that the popularity of Chinese traditional folk experiences at the scenic area has notably increased over the past three years.
The manager highlighted a stronger desire among young tourists to personally engage with and share these cultural traditions.
The rise in the scenic area's popularity reflects a broader trend where culturally-themed tourism has become a mainstream consumer preference.
Tourists are no longer satisfied with superficial sightseeing and increasingly favor in-depth cultural experiences with historical significance.
The enthusiasm of younger visitors for historical culture has contributed to the growing appeal of such scenic spots.
In terms of visitor demographics, the Qu Yuan Hometown Cultural Tourism Zone primarily attracts a middle-aged and young adult demographic aged 21 to 45, who account for over 80% of online ticket purchases.
Family-oriented trips that combine leisure with cultural learning are particularly prominent, while the 21 to 30 age group mainly consists of university students and enthusiasts of traditional Chinese culture.
Beyond cultural sites, traditional Chinese folk activities like dragon boat races and ancient city blessing ceremonies were also highly popular during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
From June 19th to 22nd, the Foshan Diejiao Dragon Boat Drifting Competition, known as the "F1 on water," is scheduled to take place in Foshan's Nanhai Guicheng Diejiao Water Town, boosting the city's tourism appeal.
Data from Meituan shows that in the past week, searches for "Foshan hotels" increased by 33% year-on-year, and searches for "Foshan food" rose by 10%.
In addition to folk culture driving travel enthusiasm, many tourists are opting for water-based activities to escape the rising summer heat.
According to Meituan data, ticket bookings for water-related projects during the Dragon Boat Festival period increased by 33% year-on-year.
Scenic spots offering natural cooling, such as canyon rafting, alpine grasslands, and waterfall streams, saw a surge in popularity first.
In a Meituan-released top 10 forecast list of popular cool and summer retreat scenic spots for the Dragon Boat Festival, Qingyuan Gulongxia ranked first.
Xu Weiyue, General Manager of Gulongxia, stated that the Dragon Boat Festival holiday marks the beginning of the summer water play season in South China, with the peak visitor period expected from early July to mid-August.
Xu Weiyue noted that today's tourists seek more than traditional sightseeing, desiring emotional resonance and deep engagement during their trips.
The scenic area is continuously enriching its offerings through innovations like "rafting + performances" and "rafting + esports" to meet this demand.
These water activities are also attracting a significant number of international tourists.
Data provided by the scenic area shows that in 2025, Gulongxia received nearly 2.04 million visitors, with foreign tourists accounting for 11.3% of the total, primarily consisting of young people aged 18 to 35.
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