Zunyi, Southwest China’s Guizhou Province Photo: VCG

China’s five-day May Day holidays are witnessing a tourism boom, with domestic rail and road passenger traffic projected to reach 18 million and 258.02 million on Saturday, the third day of this holiday season. Among the diverse travel destinations nationwide, sites offering immersive experiences have emerged as popular choices for travelers.

Xu Xiaolei, a marketing expert in the tourism field, told the Global Times on Sunday that immersive tourist attractions are characterized by “non-static displays with interactive settings or special themes that engage visitors.” Taking the Chishui Danxia Tourism Area in Zunyi, Southwest China’s Guizhou Province as an example, visitors are able to interact with on-site NPC (non-player character) guides and join them touring around scenic spots such as the Chishui Waterfalls. 

Such attractions emphasizing visitor engagement are not limited to natural landscapes but are increasingly found in China’s cultural touristic scenes such as archaeological and heritage sites. 

In Yingyang, Central China’s Henan Province, the local iconic Qingtai Ruins has opened for the public during the holiday season. The site is known for showcasing the astronomy and silk textile culture of ancient China’s Central Plain area. At the site, visitors are not only able to observe the excavation works first-hand, but also participate in tie-dye workshops to create their own silk handicrafts. In the site’s ritual area, they can learn to arrange pottery vessels as ancient people did, a practice used to represent celestial phenomena in ancient China. 

“This experience has given us a deep understanding of ancient China’s technological sophistication. I believe it can also significantly enhance children’s cultural pride and confidence,” said a visitor surnamed Zhao at the Qingtai Ruins. 

Enhancing the public’s “confidence in Chinese culture” is precisely one of the “greatest strengths” of such immersive touristic projects, Xu, the expert, told the Global Times. He highlighted that over the past three years, “trending cultural intellectual properties (IP)s have boosted holiday tourism significantly.”

After the video game Black Myth: Wukong has gone viral worldwide, the Xiaoxitian Temple in North China’s Shanxi Province, an iconic attraction that has been digitally constructed in the game, is crowded with visitors. The site has become a driving force behind Linfen City’s holiday tourism surge, with the city hosting 451,500 visitors during the holiday season. 

Major Chinese cities like Beijing and Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, are also popular travel destinations during the holiday season. During the holidays, Beijing is expected to receive 14.5 million interprovincial visitors. Immersive experiences are becoming the city’s new touristic hook, with emerging tourism products like night tours and study trips for families remaining highly popular. Tickets for historical venues like the Palace Museum were fully booked for the holiday period.

On the first day of the holiday, Chengdu welcomed 1.752 million visitors. The province has hosted a series of events, capitalizing on the “Nezha” craze to launch new Guochao, also known as China chic products and themed travel routes.

To accommodate the influx of visitors, museums have extended their operating hours. For instance, the Shaanxi History Museum, Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum and Xi’an Museum have extended their operating hours. The Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum now operates from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM during the holiday period. The closing time was extended by about 4 hours compared to usual. 

“From touristic contents to facilities and policies, China’s cultural tourism sectors are growing maturer and maturer for catering to surging holiday consumptions,” said Xu. Beyond travel destinations, cinemas have also become a popular choice for visitors. As of Saturday, the domestic box office (including previews and presales) for the holiday season has surpassed 530 million yuan ($72.89 million). 

Meanwhile, the “Vision Walk” immersive VR theater launched in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province, showcases how cinemas nationwide are striving to engage moviegoers with immersive cultural experiences during the May Day holiday season.