From seeing the scenery to tasting the culture, from a short stay to an in-depth experience
“Traveling to the county” has become a new hot spot for tourism consumption
Memorize a poem and walk into the mountains and rivers in the textbook; knead a ball of mud and experience a craft that has been passed down for thousands of years; live in a small courtyard in the mountains and taste the local flavor... During this year's National Day holiday, many tourists chose county towns and villages as their destinations.
Meituan data shows that during the National Day holiday, bookings for homestays in many county-level tourist destinations that rely on unique natural landscapes and cultural resources increased by more than 100% year-on-year. Qunar travel data shows that during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, the popularity of county hotel bookings increased by 35% year-on-year, and platform users booked hotels in more than a thousand counties. Among county tourists, more than half of them visited more than two small towns, and the average number of days they visited reached 5 days.
From seeing the scenery to appreciating culture, from a short stay to an in-depth experience, the popularity of "touring to the county" reflects the new opportunities brought by the upgrading of service consumption and the integrated development of urban and rural areas. Many "treasure" small towns and beautiful villages have become everyone's first choice for leisure vacation and relaxation. "County tours" and rural tours have become hot spots for tourism consumption.
The culture is unique and the travel is innovative
Convert resource advantages into experience advantages
Before entering Jianmen Pass, we encountered "The Road to Shu is Difficult".
In the square of Jianmenguan High-speed Railway Station in Jiange County, Sichuan Province, Zhao Jiaqi, a tourist from Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, recited Li Bai's "The Road to Shu is Difficult" in its entirety and successfully redeemed a free ticket for the Jianmenguan Scenic Area on the day. "I want to see what the Jianmen Pass in Li Bai's poem looks like." Zhao Jiaqi said.
In previous years, poetry quizzes and ticket redemption activities were held at the entrance and exit of the scenic spot. This year, the local government moved the interactive points to high-speed rail stations and tourism distribution centers. As soon as tourists arrive, they can participate in poetry interaction; upon entering the scenic area, they can also watch Sichuan opera face-changing and participate in poetry dialogue.
A poem leads a journey, and rich experiences open up more space for travel. Jiange County guides tourists from the core scenic spots to the ancient Shu Road in towns and villages along the route. They watch lanterns and paper puppets in Bailong Town, and Nuo opera in Yangcun Town. Small shops and farm operators along the route also welcome tourists to dine and buy agricultural products.
How can special resources bring tourism attraction into play? The key is to allow visitors to go in and participate.
Woyang County, Anhui Province has launched a red reality drama "Wohe Beacon", which uses the local revolutionary history as creative material and relies on outdoor real-life venues to allow the audience to experience the turbulent years while watching the performance.
Feng Yong, who took his children to watch the performance, said: "In the past, children only read the history of the Anti-Japanese War in textbooks. Today, they can truly feel the cruelty of the war and the fearlessness of our ancestors. This is a good patriotic education."
The local government has also launched ticket stub linkage discounts to connect performances with scenic tours, museum explanations, special catering, etc., allowing one performance ticket to connect more cultural experiences and consumption scenarios.
In the Tao Er Factory Cultural District, Dingshu Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province, the old factory has become a window to touch the pottery culture. Among the old red-brick houses, a cultural and creative market and a ceramics experience store attract tourists. Zhao Peng's family, who were visiting from Nanjing, walked into a pottery store, kneaded purple clay and tried to shape it.
"It's not about watching through glass, but experiencing the pottery making process to help children understand the inheritance and charm of traditional skills." Zhao Peng said. From viewing works to hands-on production, there are more ways to display traditional skills, and old factories have also found new uses.
From old factories to old mines, dormant resources have new ways to open up.
In Chunshan, Jizhou District, Tianjin, abandoned quarry pits that used to have exposed rock walls are now lush with vegetation. During the National Day holiday, family tourists walked along the restoration trail and listened to the instructor's explanation of the ecological restoration process of the mine based on the cliff ruins. At the outdoor farm, children built insect hotels, conducted small soil experiments, participated in plant rubbings, and learned about nature through practice.
The local area connects mining sites, nature libraries, and outdoor camps to create ecological study routes. Many tourists choose to stay in B&Bs and travel in depth. The restored mine not only has a new landscape, but also becomes a natural classroom that can be observed and participated in.
From cultural experiences to ecological studies, the supply of tourism products is constantly enriched. This year’s National Day Cultural and Tourism Consumption Month, various regions plan to hold more than 20,000 cultural and tourism activities, issue more than 310 million yuan in consumer vouchers and other consumer subsidies, and increase product supply around autumn viewing leisure, red tourism, study tours, intangible cultural heritage delicacies and other needs.
The transportation is more convenient and the service is more considerate.
Provide convenient conditions for in-depth travel
When traveling to the county, the experience begins with finding a parking space.
During the National Day holiday, tourist Xiao Lingjie took his family on a self-driving trip and passed through Xichuan County, Henan Province to have lunch. Following the roadside sign, he parked the car inside the county's No. 1 primary school.
"Follow the 'free parking' sign and enter the campus, and there will be a dedicated person to guide you. It's so convenient." Xiao Lingjie said.
Faced with the overlapping flow of people returning home and tourists, Xichuan County has opened free internal parking lots of some government agencies and institutions, primary and secondary school campuses, and government-managed public parking lots, arranged personnel to guide them, and announced opening hours and on-duty telephone numbers.
Utilize existing public resources to solve specific problems faced by tourists. A parking space is related to tourists’ first impression of a city.
From "getting there" to "traveling smoothly", county tourism requires transportation networks and connecting services. By the end of 2025, the total mileage of rural roads nationwide was 4.7112 million kilometers, providing basic conditions for urban-rural travel and rural tourism. About 90% of county-level administrative centers across the country can access expressways in 30 minutes. The high-speed rail network connects most counties, and "same-day delivery" and "weekend delivery" have become the norm.
After the road is connected, how to connect scattered scenic spots, hotels and villages? Anji County, Zhejiang Province has launched a direct train for transportation and tourism, and opened 5 special lines for scenic spots, connecting cultural and tourism spots such as Zhongnan Bai Grassland, Bamboo Expo Park, and Yunshang Grassland Scenic Area. Visitors can make an online reservation for free pick-up from the hotel to the hub station, and then transfer to the scenic spot line. The hub station also provides free parking to facilitate self-driving tourists to transfer.
The "Last Section" has made up for the shortcomings in service, and more tours can be arranged more calmly.
Accommodation is also the entrance to experience local life. In Yandang Mountain, Yueqing City, Zhejiang Province, Linfeng Mountain House B&B near Lingfeng Scenic Area connects accommodation with mountain and sea experience. The B&B arranges a 4-day and 3-night itinerary for guests, integrating scenic tours, fishing trips, outdoor experiences and local cuisine. When leaving the store, visitors can also take away souvenirs such as dendrobium officinale and dried shrimps. Meituan data shows that during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, the number of B&B bookings on the platform for stays of 4 to 6 days increased by 24% year-on-year, with significant growth in county-level destinations. Douyin Life Service data shows that the number of group buying orders on the platform during the National Day holiday increased by 53% year-on-year.
The small shop takes orders and the villagers make a living
Let tourism scenes connect more possibilities
When tourists stay, how will their consumption benefit the local people?
In Tianhe Village, Jialing Town, Hui County, Gansu Province, the ancient ginkgo community attracts tourists. Zhou Yaxue, the operator of Ginkgo Dream Valley B&B, said that a few days before the National Day holiday, the 29 guest rooms were basically full. Instead of returning after seeing the ancient trees in the past, many tourists choose to stay, eat delicious food and watch the stars under the ancient trees.
At the farmhouse run by villager Sanqi, ginkgo-stewed local chicken, wood-fired turkey, wild vegetables, etc. are popular among tourists.
New consumer demand also attracts young people to return to their hometowns to look for opportunities.
In Qiongkushtai Village, Tekes County, Xinjiang, Wen Yusen, born in the 2000s, runs a wooden house B&B with 10 rooms, and cooperates with a horse team run by relatives to provide horseback riding services. During the National Day holiday, the booking volume of this B&B increased by about 30% year-on-year.
Online display and offline experience expand the channels for operators to contact tourists. A B&B in Jiuzhaigou County, Sichuan Province, displays mountain views through a short video platform, provides services such as afternoon tea, catering, and horseback riding photography, and sets up positions such as housekeeping, cleaning, catering, and pick-up and drop-off. Many local people participate in the service and increase their income.
“County tours” continue to be popular. A large number of tourists come to the county to experience the local scenery and experience the harvest scenes. The offline on-site experience has also led to a significant increase in the consumption of agricultural specialty products online. E-commerce platform data shows that from September 25 to October 4, online consumption of county specialty agricultural products increased significantly. The transaction volume of kiwi fruit in Mei County, Zhouzhi County and other places in Shaanxi Province increased by 65% year-on-year. The transaction volume of Yanbian rice in Jilin Province increased by more than 300% year-on-year. The transaction volume of black fungus in Changbai Mountain increased by 132% year-on-year.
The potential of the county market extends far beyond just one holiday. Our country's county areas account for approximately 90% of the country's land area, 50% of its permanent population, and contribute 40% of its total economic output. This year, 9 departments including the Ministry of Commerce issued the "Opinions on Further Stimulating the Vitality of Lower Markets and Energizing Consumption in County Areas", proposing to promote the integrated development of business, agriculture, culture, tourism and sports; support the development of small shops, time-honored stores, and workshop-style brands that carry local culture; and support "new craftsmen" groups in fields such as cultural and creative handicrafts, home life, food and tea drinks.
A small town opens up a big market, and the journey leads to a good life. The craze of "touring to the county" is surging with the innovation vitality and development space of China's economy.
Our reporter Chang Qin
