China's culture and tourism sector shows new trends as consumers travel, explore more

Beijing – A new annual analysis of China's culture and tourism industries suggests that, after a period of steady recovery, both sectors are gaining renewed momentum, with shifting consumer preferences and digital innovation reshaping how people travel, experience culture, and spend.

The Annual Research Report on China's Cultural Industry and Tourism Industry (2025) was released in Beijing on January 30, alongside a seminar that brought together more than 100 experts, scholars and industry representatives to discuss pathways for the sectors' high-quality development.

Jointly compiled by the Beijing Jinghe Cultural Tourism Development Research Institute (a research base under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism), the Xinhua Net Cultural Industry Research Institute and Beijing 798 Culture Technology Co., Ltd., with guidance from the China Cultural Industry Association, the report notes that as China looks ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan, the cultural and tourism sectors are entering a new stage of high-quality development.

According to the report, China's cultural and tourism sectors continued to show steady, positive growth in 2025, extending the momentum seen after the post-pandemic recovery.

As the economy transitions from a digital to an increasingly intelligent stage – alongside deeper integration of aesthetic education and experience-based consumption – the report identifies ten emerging trends, including the modernization of cultural narratives, closer coordination between public services and industry, deeper digitalization of business models, stronger regional networking, the assetization of data, more diverse creative participants, increasingly segmented consumer demand, platform-driven industrial structures, cross-sector integration, and the expansion of a dual-circulation development pattern.

The report also identifies major news events, key buzzwords, and priority areas that shaped the sector over the year. Drawing on the report, Sina Finance lists some of the most notable developments, including the successful inclusion of the Western Xia Mausoleums (Xixia Imperial Tombs) in Yinchuan on UNESCO's World Heritage List, the rise of the performance economy as a driver of destination spending, the growing use of humanoid technologies in sports events and cultural tourism scenarios, the animated film "Ne Zha 2" topping the global box office, and the rapid expansion of the so-called "millet economy."

Popular keywords included emotional value, immersive experience, AI empowerment, high-quality development, intangible cultural heritage consumption, county-level tourism and new productive forces.

As Professor Sun Yehong, vice dean of the School of Tourism at Beijing Union University, told ChinaNews.com.cn, tourism has become increasingly intertwined with everyday life. Travelers, Sun noted, are no longer focused solely on traditional scenic spots but are seeking authentic local experiences. She suggested that the industry should work to strengthen connections between source markets and destinations and deepen the emotional bond between tourists and local residents.

Meanwhile, Professor Fan Zhou, dean of the Beijing Jinghe Cultural Tourism Development Research Institute, emphasized that traditional cultural and tourism enterprises must find new competitive edges in the digital era. Management departments, he noted, need to develop governance models that match modern digital trends. As the sector becomes increasingly shaped by the "attention economy," he added, attracting consumers' time – and encouraging them to spend – will be a central challenge.

The findings align with broader tourism data showing a robust domestic market, with momentum expected to continue into early 2026. Reuters, quoting a state planning official, noted that China anticipates a record 9.5 billion passenger trips during the 40-day Spring Festival travel period – higher than the 9.02 billion domestic trips last year – following the government's decision to extend the Lunar New Year holiday to nine days, which will be held from February 15 to 23 to boost domestic consumption.

For travelers, the trends point to greater choice and richer cultural experiences. For policymakers, they underline the growing role of culture and tourism as pillars of domestic demand – and as testing grounds for how digital innovation and consumption-led growth can shape China's next development phase.