County tourism carves niche in China

Convenient access, affordable hotels, travel policies, new experiences stoke expansion

Tourists take balloon rides at a Danxia geopark in Zhangye, Gansu province, in July. [Photo by Wang Jianping for China Daily]

A niche tourism segment has emerged in China this summer with a focus on small counties, in spite of the fiercely competitive nature of the market.

Counties with convenient transportation and those that are close to scenic spots are expected to witness further growth in the tourism and accommodation markets, industry players said.

Hotel bookings in fourth- and fifth-tier cities and county-level areas grow the fastest among different tourist areas, according to Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.

In particular, high-end hotel bookings in small cities have jumped nearly 50 percent year-on-year this summer, and the most sought-after counties are in western China that are relatively cooler, Qunar found.

"Libo, a scenic county in Guizhou province, Southwest China, renowned for its karst mountains, has seen hotel bookings surge more than seven times over last summer. The growth rate tops the list nationwide," said Xiao Peng, a Qunar researcher.

Besides Libo, some other counties in Guizhou, as well as counties in Qinghai and Gansu provinces, are most popular with local hotel bookings surging. The top five hotels with the highest booking volumes in Libo this summer are high-end hotels and hotel chains, with an average price of over 397 yuan ($55.5) per night, the travel agency said.

Meanwhile, Guizhou's scenic areas have issued policies that by the end of this year, domestic college students, middle-school students and primary school students, and some other groups such as teachers, police officers and medical staff, will get complimentary admission to all A-level scenic spots in the province. Some consumers said they chose to visit Guizhou mainly because of such preferential policies.

"More travelers have been obtaining travel-related information through livestreaming sessions online," said Qiao Chengwei, a director of domestic travel products at Tuniu Corp, a Nanjing, Jiangsu province-based online travel agency.

"Still, there exist some unreasonably low-priced products for certain travel groups, and there are various self-paying trips indirectly included in the travel itinerary. We suggest tourists choose legitimate tourism products offering guaranteed after-sales service."

For long-distance travelers, what is important is whether or not a chosen county-level destination is conveniently accessible.

Some 80 percent of the top 20 domestic counties that have seen the highest growth in hotel bookings are either directly accessible by air, high-speed railway trains or regular trains, or located within a two-hour drive from the nearest train station, Qunar said.

For instance, the high-speed railway train station of Libo is only 11 kilometers away from Xiaoqikong (seven small arches) scenic area in the county, making it convenient for travelers to visit the sightseeing spot.

In August 2023, the high-speed railway line connecting Libo and Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou, began operations. It takes a mere 57 minutes now to reach the other city. The number of tourists that Libo receives has since grown significantly, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Guizhou.