China sees 124m domestic tourism trips over Dragon Boat Festival

China's domestic tourism market recorded 124 million trips during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, up 4.4 percent year-on-year, data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed on Monday.

Total domestic tourism spending reached more than 44 billion yuan ($6.5 billion) during the three-day holiday that ended on Sunday, marking a 4 percent increase from the same period last year.

Dragon boat races across China effectively boosted cultural tourism, the ministry said. Local authorities organized a wide range of themed events and competitive races, coupled with festive rituals, intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, creative markets, and traditional Chinese-style garden tours, it said.

Family trips, summer escapes and slow travel remained popular. Parent-child outings dominated the market, while demand for private group tours and customized packages among senior citizens grew robustly.

Younger travelers favored relaxed small cities on the outskirts of major urban centers, seeking spiritual respite through ancient-town strolls and folk-culture experiences.

Large-scale concerts held in multiple cities also drove significant increases in nearby hotel bookings.

New offerings including low-altitude light shows, beer carnivals and nighttime water cruises enriched evening tourism experiences.

Nationwide, nighttime cultural and tourism consumption clusters recorded a total nighttime footfall of 38.59 million visits, up 2.43 percent year-on-year.