On Feb 4, online travel platforms like Trip and Fliggy revealed that intangible cultural heritage (ICH) emerged as a new highlight during the Spring Festival holiday and sparked a tourism boom in North China's Shanxi province.

According to Trip's "2025 Chinese New Year Tourism Summary Report", Taiyuan excelled in ICH tourism, attracting many domestic and international tourists. Spring Festival flight bookings to Taiyuan increased by 2 percent year-on-year, while inbound tourist bookings surged by 24 percent. Key tourist sources included major domestic cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin, as well as countries like the United States and South Korea.

Taiyuan's ICH tourism projects have garnered significant attention. In the Taiyuan Ancient County Town, diverse ICH folk performances, such as dragon and lion dances and musical recitals, captivated visitors, leading to a 30 percent year-on-year increase in tourist arrivals during the Spring Festival holiday.

Fliggy's "2025 Chinese New Year Holiday Travel Quick Report" also revealed that celebrating an ICH-themed Chinese New Year had become a top trend in Shanxi's tourism market. The popularity of ICH tours surged 40 percent compared to last year, with lantern festivals and folk performances among the most popular activities.

Customized tour bookings in Shanxi during the holiday have more than doubled compared to last year, with car rentals and guided tour bookings also experiencing double-digit year-on-year growth. Trip predicts that the Shanxi ICH tourism market will continue to thrive, with ICH becoming the core competitive advantage of the province's emerging tourism market.