Trendy tourists combining fun travel, activities

Thousands of people flocked to Foshan, South China's Guangdong province, during this year's Dragon Boat Festival to witness dragon boat races, a local tradition that has been kept intact for hundreds of years.

Air ticket bookings via online travel agency Trip.com surged 138 percent year-on-year to Foshan, one of the most popular tourist destinations, while those for hotels increased by 51 percent during the three-day holiday.

Wan Jiali, a 40-year-old nurse from Beijing, booked a hotel room three weeks in advance after receiving frequent recommendations from her colleagues in Guangdong and knowing fully well that Foshan's dragon boat competitions had received more than 3 billion online views last year.

"The hotel was within walking distance to the racing spot. When I got there at around 10 am on June 1, planning for a leisurely walk or a quick lunch, I was shocked to see the huge crowds despite the fact that the race would not start till 2 pm. I needed to seek help from local villagers to find a place from where I could possibly take a peek at the race. But it was really worthwhile. Watching on TV and experiencing the heats right there was totally different. It was really hard to imagine that a boat holding 30 people could dash off at lightning speeds," she said.

Foshan, however, has more to offer than dragon boat races.

Wan spent three days in the city, paying visits to the Foshan Ancestral Temple, a complex of historical and cultural heritage, and, of course, enjoying the local cuisine.

Another event that attracted much attention during the holiday was the 2025 Jiangsu Football City League, for which all tickets to the third-round matches were sold out days in advance.

The last match, between Nanjing and Wuxi, held on June 1, the second day of the three-day holiday, attracted 15,000 spectators to the stadium despite pouring rain.

The fervent online discussions of the football league have translated into increasing numbers of tourists traveling to cities where matches are held.

Yancheng launched a special tourist package combining bird watching with match viewership.

Football fans were allowed to visit the China Dinosaur Park for free when the match was held between the two city leagues, attracting more than 10,000 such visitors in a single day.

The combination of events and travel is a major trend taking shape in the Chinese tourism industry, said Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com, during its Envision 2025 Global Partner Conference held in Shanghai in May.

"Young people very much like to go to events such as Taylor Swift shows, G-Dragon shows, the Olympic Games and sports activities," she said, adding that it is one major reason why the company has teamed up with global players to roll out tourism packages centered on events.