In the past two years, the tourism industry has been facing unprecedented pressure of change and unprecedented opportunities for innovation. As the basic support of the tourism industry, the scenic spots are constantly bright and innovative on the way to recovery.
Frequent highlights in ups and downs
This year, affected by the epidemic, the recovery of China’s tourist attractions has been ups and downs, but there are many bright spots emerging. The Development Report of China’s Tourist Attractions (2021) (hereinafter referred to as the “Report”) released by the China Tourism Research Institute recently shows that red tourism leads the new fashion of the scenic spot industry, and the Winter Olympics helps the ice and snow scenic spots to be ready for development.
Red tourist attractions have attracted much attention. In the “2021 List of Recommended Online Red Card Punching Places in Beijing” recently released by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, new red scenic spots such as the Memorial Hall of the CPC’s Early Revolutionary Activities in Beijing (the Red Mansion of Peking University) and the former site of the editorial department of New Youth (the former residence of Chen Duxiu) were not only selected, but also loved by young tourists. The Report points out that the planning, construction and management level of red tourism scenic spots has been significantly improved. Many large-scale live performances, such as “A Mao Zedong in China”, “Yan’an Nursing Home” and “Yan’an Defense War”, are popular with tourists. Jinggangshan, Yan’an, Ruijin, Shaoshan, Xibaipo, Jiaxing and other places have explored a number of replicable and promotable red tourism development models. More and more red scenic spots have innovated exhibition and presentation forms, integrating night tours, high-tech, rural tours and other forms into red tourism, making the red culture more vivid and attracting more young tourists to visit and experience.
With the approaching of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, ice and snow scenic spots and resorts from north to south and from nature to artificial are injecting more vitality into the ice and snow tourism with “prosperous market, hot investment and flourishing industry”. The 2021 Beijing ice and snow cultural tourism season has begun. There are 22 Beijing ice and snow tourism boutique routes that integrate the elements of the Winter Olympics, urban characteristics, and cultural signs, and combine various elements such as skiing, mountaineering, hiking, self-driving, and food to upgrade the ice and snow consumption experience. Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin and other places, with the help of high-quality ice and snow resources, vigorously develop ice and snow sports and promote the continuous warming of ice and snow tourism.
Living space is also a scenic spot
The tourist consumption demand of tourists is constantly changing, and the connotation of tourist attractions is expanded accordingly. Natural space, historical sites, living space and contemporary scenes are all scenic spots. The beautiful scenery around us and the beautiful daily life have become the fun of people’s travel.
According to the special survey data of the China Tourism Research Institute, since the National Day holiday in 2020, the average travel distance of tourists and the average recreation radius of the destination have shown a double contraction trend. The tourist flow of tourist attractions close to the main tourist source markets has an obvious growth trend. The leisure vacation space facing the local and short-range peripheral tourism markets has ushered in new development opportunities.
With the integration of culture and tourism, tourist attractions have become a normalized living space for people to feel the beauty of culture and enhance cultural self-confidence, and also a warm and upward force. Museums, exhibition halls, bookstores, commercial blocks, urban complexes, vegetable markets, urban parks, country parks, theme parks, ancient towns and villages and other spaces for people’s daily life have also become scenic spots for people to enjoy a better life. Opening and sharing are no longer the propaganda and slogan of tourist attractions, but the practical actions and choices of tourists and residents.
Du Jiang, deputy minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said at the 2021 China Tourism Group Development Forum recently held that the confidence in tourism consumption is steadily recovering, the demand for mass tourism and leisure vacation is further released, and the people’s new demand for quality, convenience and customization of a better life continues to promote the transformation and upgrading of mass tourism. The trend of “local people traveling to the local area” and the new space for guests to share a better life is obvious. “Light tourism”, “micro vacation”, “residential hotel”, cultural research and learning, and night leisure characterized by short time, short distance, and high frequency have become hot spots in the market.
Innovation helps the development of scenic spots
In the past, tourists went to the scenic spot, “I came, I marked, I left”. Today’s tourists to the scenic spot are “I’m here, I’m here again”, even “I’ve never left”, because “this is my life”. The Report points out that the current tourist attractions are places with core attraction, can go to play and can make tourists happy. To attract tourists, tourist attractions need to give tourists a reason to go. Now, this reason is no longer the “only in the world” or “unique in the country” in the past, nor the “world-class” or “5A” brand in front of the tourist attraction, but the innovative content, sympathetic atmosphere and accompanying memory.
How to meet the new changes in tourist demand, the scenic spot needs to cultivate new space, and where is the new driving force for the development of the scenic spot? Culture leads life, and technology creates the future. The Report points out that the application of science and technology has increasingly become an important measure for the high-quality development of tourist attractions. In order to realize the transformation, upgrading and high-quality development of tourist attractions, we must promote the digital strategy and make science and technology become the key support for innovation.
A scenic spot with an unlimited future is one that constantly meets the needs of tourists for a better life and continues to create innovative content. The “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan” for Cultural and Tourism Development proposed that during the “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan” period, a number of world-class tourist attractions and resorts with rich cultural heritage should be built, and a number of national tourism and leisure cities and blocks with distinctive cultural characteristics should be built. Relying on scenic spots, holiday areas, tourism and leisure cities, regional international tourism destinations should be built, and ecological, marine, ice and snow, urban cultural and leisure and other tourism destinations should be built.
Surrounded by beautiful scenic spots, enjoying the happiness of China’s tourism into daily life
