Local culture drives tourism boom in China as youth seek authentic experiences

A fish-shaped lantern parade attracts tourists to Wangmantian village, Shexian county, east China's Anhui Province. (Photo courtesy of the Culture, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Shexian county)

The charms of local culture and nature — including cuisine, festivals, intangible cultural heritage performances, traditional customs and everyday lifestyles — have a strong appeal, particularly for young travelers. Tourism focused on these experiences is giving fresh momentum to the growth of the cultural and tourism industry.

Wang Xueying, a young traveler from Beijing born in the 2000s, got a firsthand glimpse of the cultural traditions of central Shaanxi Province in northwest China. During her trip, she sampled local delicacies and immersed herself in the region's folk customs, forming a deep connection with the area.

Fish-shaped lanterns are a distinctive feature of Shexian county in east China's Anhui Province. Considered a living folk tradition, they are both an intangible cultural heritage and an important ritual.

During the Spring Festival holiday this year, which fell between late January and early February, Shexian welcomed 1.12 million tourist visits, with total tourist spending reaching 1.09 billion yuan ($153 million).

Local traditions hold the key to understanding Chinese culture while shining a light on lesser-known cities and towns.

"The fishing culture of the Hezhe ethnic group is a unique highlight of Tongjiang city, and the traditional craft of making fish skin clothing — closely tied to their fishing practices — is an important part of this heritage," said Zhang Zhimei, director of the Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of Tongjiang city in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The city hosts over 3,000 performances each year, celebrating the traditions of the Hezhe people, and offers nearly 20 workshops on intangible cultural heritage for the public, according to Zhang. It has also developed cultural products that highlight the beauty of traditional fish skin patterns through modern aesthetics.

A tourist touches fish skin shoes in Tongjiang city, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Photo/Liu Wanping)

A report by the China Tourism Academy and online travel platform Mafengwo found that posts about local cultural and natural attractions on Mafengwo in the first half of this year exceeded the entire 2024 total by 45.7 percent.

Travelers born in the 1990s remain the main group seeking experiences centered on local traditions, while those born in the 2000s are emerging as a promising new consumer group.

Zhang Zheng, deputy director of the Institute for Cultural Creativity at Tsinghua University, noted that young people today are looking for experiences that connect closely with everyday life.

"When they travel, they focus more on personal experiences. They don't just want to watch how other people live; they want to actively live a different life and fully immerse themselves in the unique lifestyles of different regions," he added.

"Distinctive local experiences are becoming a major draw in the cultural and tourism industry. Travelers are not only willing to go out of their way to seek them, but also ready to pay for the chance to enjoy truly unique, authentic experiences," Zhang explained.

A foreign tourist takes pictures of flower-shaped steamed buns at a steamed bun festival in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Jingang)

For example, Shexian county has launched a variety of innovative initiatives, including intangible cultural heritage workshops, stores selling creative cultural products, B&Bs, restaurants and courses on fish-shaped lantern making and paper-cutting.

"Traveling for local charms directly drives tourism consumption and economic growth. Over the past three years, Shexian has welcomed more than 10 million tourist visits, generating over 5 billion yuan in tourism revenue," said Wu Jiong, director of the Culture, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Shexian county.

Similarly, during this year's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Tongjiang city received 151,000 tourist visits, generating 72.48 million yuan in tourism revenue.