With unique consumption preferences, female tourists help drive development of tourism

Four female tourists pose for photos in front of a woman-shaped lantern in the Daming Lake scenic spot in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 10, 2025. (China News Service/Zhao Xiao)

From the booming sales of Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) to the rise of travel photography, from the popularity of blind box souvenirs to the emergence of niche attractions, the presence of women is everywhere. Today, Chinese women prefer to indulge themselves in "poetry and distant places," leveraging their strong purchasing power, decision-making authority, and unique preferences to drive the diversification and high-quality development of tourism consumption.

"Last year, I visited 21 cities, and I planned most of the trips on my own," said Wen Yu, a post-95s woman. She shared her experiences on social media of trying on traditional hairpin flowers in Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, and doing a photo shoot in Liuzhou of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region wearing the traditional clothing of local ethnic groups. This year, she plans to visit Southeast Asian countries during her long holidays.

According to the "2024 Women's Travel Consumption Insights Report" released by Ctrip, a Chinese online travel agency, 70 percent of family trips are led by women, and nearly 80 percent of women book travel products for their companions. Women have strong influence in travel bookings.

Sun Weili, a senior manager of public affairs from Ctrip, said that women accounted for nearly 60 percent of all orders of the platform. Passionate about experiential consumption and quick to spot trending destinations, they play a pivotal role in planning family vacations. "Women's travel preferences have also fueled new trends like traditional-style photography, experiencing intangible cultural heritage items, and cultural creative markets," Sun added.

These days, the historic alleys of Mingfucheng Ancient City of Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, have seen a surge of female visitors dressed in China's traditional Hanfu gracefully posing for photographs.

"Our shop provides Hanfu makeup and photography services, receiving over 1,000 customer visits monthly. More than 90 percent of them are female, including young students, workers and mothers with their children," said Zhu Yao, owner of a local Hanfu styling shop.

Pan Yani, general manager of a tourism center of China Travel International (Shandong) Ltd., observed that women are more inclined to share their trips on social media, and help popularize new experiences and trends.