Dai Bin | Digging deep into young people’s “personalized travel” to create a new trend in the cultural tourism market

Recently, Dai Bin, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the China Tourism Academy, accepted an exclusive interview with People's Daily Online's "Arts" program during the two sessions, "Art Stars Speak Up", and offered suggestions for building a cultural power through topics such as new paths for the development of cultural tourism and new trends in cultural tourism consumption. The full text is shared below.

Editor's note: A country prospers when its culture flourishes, and a nation is strong when its culture is strong. 2025 is the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and it is also an important year for further deepening reform in an all-round way. On the occasion of the two sessions of the National People's Congress, People's Daily Online launched the "Arts" Chat of the Two Sessions - "Arts and Literature Stars Talk" special plan for the two sessions in 2025, inviting representatives and members of the cultural and artistic fields to offer suggestions for the construction of a culturally strong country.

This year's cultural tourism market has the characteristics of a high start, high-end layout and high-quality development. "Poetry and distant places" are becoming more and more an important part of a good life. "Dai Bin, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, president of the China Tourism Research Institute, and director of the Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, told People's Daily Online that at this year's National People's Congress, he focused on topics such as the opening of government courtyards, inbound tourism and marine tourism. "There are more and more tourist spaces and consumption scenarios that attract tourists, and they pay more attention to quality and diversification. We hope to promote the prosperity and development of the cultural tourism industry from different dimensions."

Explore a “new path” for cultural tourism development

From foreign tourists "checking in" during the Chinese New Year, to the movie "Nezha: The Devil Boy Conquers the Dragon King" which made "Travel with Nezha" popular, to Xi'an "building a museum at the airport"... new phenomena have continued to emerge in the cultural and tourism market this year, ushering in a "good start".

While the market is booming, the difficulty of parking and dining during holidays in some areas has also become a focus of public attention. In this regard, at this year's National People's Congress, Dai Bin called for parking lots, canteens and other public spaces in government courtyards across the country to be opened to the public on a regular basis during holidays.

"Yangzhou, Dunhuang, Lishui and other places have taken the lead in trying it out, and social resources have been more fully utilized, which also brings unique experiences to tourists and demonstrates the city's open, inclusive and confident image." Dai Bin said.

At the same time, in response to the "China Travel" craze in which foreign tourists come to China to see the beautiful scenery, taste the delicious food and appreciate the culture, Dai Bin called for the construction of first-stop cities that are friendly to inbound individual tourists.

"Cities are important ports and carriers of inbound tourism. As my country's visa-free 'circle of friends' continues to expand, building a tourism power requires building a number of international tourist cities and creating well-known blocks." He stressed that attention should be paid to the details of services for independent travelers, such as luggage storage and information desks, "so that tourists can come conveniently and have a comfortable time, so that they can come often."

In addition, Dai Bin also set his sights on marine tourism. "my country not only has 9.6 million square kilometers of land, but also more than 3 million square kilometers of marine territory." He called for opening up new blue oceans for my country's tourism industry by building a spatial pattern of coordinated land and sea and three-dimensional travel.

Stimulate the "new vitality" of cultural tourism consumption

In January this year, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Several Measures on Further Cultivating New Growth Points and Prospering Cultural and Tourism Consumption", proposing to deepen "culture and tourism + all industries" and "all industries + culture and tourism".

"Today's tourism has long evolved from 'seeing mountains, rivers and scenery' to 'I decide my own itinerary', especially the younger generation, who pay more attention to personalized and rational consumption." Dai Bin said that nowadays, tourists travel faster, farther and more freely, and tourist destinations are also more down-to-earth and cultural.

With the rise of phenomena such as "reverse tourism" and "alternative tourism", a group of "treasure towns" have stood out, attracting a large number of tourists with similar interests with their unique "labels" - a special food, a historical district, a fireworks show, or a creative market.

"I think this year will be a year of rapid growth and continuous innovation in county tourism." Dai Bin said that young people are creating their own tourism projects. The new trend not only drives the development of related industries such as homestays, travel photography, and cultural and creative industries, but also injects new vitality into the tourism market.

"Travel photography records beautiful moments, and refrigerator magnets carry travel memories, these are the continuation of a wonderful trip." In Dai Bin's view, nowadays, tourists' needs are not only reflected before and during the trip, but are equally important after the trip. All things that can create beauty for young people should be supported.

Expanding the “new scene” of cultural and tourism integration

At present, the cultural tourism industry is "running at an accelerated pace". How to achieve sustainable development? Dai Bin said that he hopes that the tourism industry will return to normal life and create new experiences beyond the daily routine.

"Tourism development cannot just focus on the past, but also look to the future that can be explored, and find more attractions from the sense of modernity, fashion and the future," said Dai Bin.

Nowadays, technology plays an important role in improving the travel experience. Convenient ticket booking process and fast payment methods make travel more efficient; drones plus "fireworks shows" and naked-eye 3D screens on shopping streets make the city full of fashion.

Dai Bin emphasized that "smart tourism must first focus on the needs of tourists and make tourism approachable and tangible through smart means, so as to promote the steady and long-term development of tourism."

"A tourist destination should not be a fleeting firework, but a flourishing flower in the deep and quiet water." In Dai Bin's view, whether local governments are developing the humanities economy, the digital economy, or exploring emerging low-altitude tourism and the first-launch economy, they must truly adapt to the needs and acceptance of tourists.

"Only by making prices affordable, effectively controlling production costs, and scaling up and normalizing consumption patterns can we win the reputation of 'word-of-mouth' on the basis of 'household name', and create a new space for a better life that is pleasing to tourists from near and far and shared by hosts and guests," said Dai Bin.

Written by Liu Wei Source: People's Daily Online Editor: Liu Xin Please indicate the source for reprinting