In the latest trend, tourists want to get away from it all

With tourists looking for slower and more immersive experiences far from frenetic major urban centers, quieter county-level destinations in China have emerged to meet the need.

The trend was seen during this year's National Day holiday. Online travel agency Tongcheng Travel said that counties — including Pingtan in Fujian province, Chun'an in Zhejiang province, Baoting in Hainan province, Zhongmu in Henan province and Pingyao in Shanxi province — ranked among the most popular destinations.

Pingtan, in particular, stood out, with hotel and homestay bookings surging 62 percent year-on-year, driven and supported by a high-quality travel experience.

Sheng Kaixin, a tourist from Shanghai, said that an e-bike service, with its own app, is available both at Pingtan's high-speed rail and bus stations. "You can swap batteries along the way — all very reliable," she said, adding that the food in local restaurants is fresh and available at reasonable prices.

Pingyao Ancient City, a UNESCO World Heritage site, received more than 550,000 visitors during the recent holiday, up more than 5 percent year-on-year.

Qiao Zhixiang, deputy operations director at the scenic area, said that a poetry competition allowed visitors of all ages to appreciate Chinese poetry and also enjoy folk performances.

Zhou Yan, another tourist from Shanghai, described the up-close and personal experience: "The actors were right beside me. The plot felt down-to-earth. It gave me a direct understanding of Shanxi merchant culture — it was truly meaningful."

County-level tourism is not just limited to a handful of counties, it is a nationwide trend. According to a report released last September by the Competitiveness Think Tank and Beijing Zhongxin Urban Planning and Design Research Institute, tourist visits and total tourism revenue in China's top 100 tourism counties both achieved double-digit growth in 2024 compared with the previous year, increasing by 18.3 percent and 15.9 percent, respectively.

The tourism boom at the county level is fueled in no small part by China's rapidly expanding transportation infrastructure. The nation's extensive high-speed rail and highway networks have put more county-level destinations within just one or two hours of major cities, transforming what were once arduous journeys into convenient holiday getaways.

Liu Gaifang, a professor at Shanxi University's School of History and Culture, said the rise of county-level tourism is also driven by the psychological needs of tourists.

"The first is a sense of escape," she said. "Counties are mostly in rural areas, allowing tourists to break away from the repetitive nature of work and life in big cities."

The second key factor, she said, was getting close to nature. "Counties have many natural resources that have not undergone urbanization," she noted. "So tourists can have aesthetic experiences and achieve psychological relaxation."

In addition, many tourists who grew up in rural areas can rekindle past memories and experience a kind of emotional resonance, she said.

Liu added that the latest development trend reveals that tourism is no longer limited to mature scenic areas. "Original settings such as small riversides and forests have become new choices for outings," she said. "In addition, county-level tourism costs less, which suits tourists' current consumption choices."

The recent holiday surge was a test of counties' reception capacity. Tongcheng said that hotel and travel booking demand during the holiday in Qinghai's Qilian county more than doubled over last year. More than 100,000 visitors were received in a single day in the county of around 50,000 people, prompting authorities to open local school dormitories to accommodate them — a move that triggered online debate.

"It is indeed inappropriate. Students have personal belongings, and there is no way to guarantee that their privacy will not be violated. Tourists who fail to plan ahead should bear the responsibility themselves," one netizen wrote.

Liu said that forward-looking management planning is crucial for counties. "A surge in visitor flow to popular destinations does not come without warning," she said. "Local authorities should assess visitor flow trends in advance."

She said that counties could use vacant land to create campsites for self-driving tourists. They could also set up supporting facilities and provide basic water and electricity services.

If they are frankly informed that local accommodation is limited, most tourists will understand the constraints faced by these counties, Liu said.