People visit Yantai botanical garden in Yantai, east China's Shandong Province, Sept. 15, 2024. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of China's most important traditional holidays. Taking place annually on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, it will be observed on Sept. 17 this year. (Photo: Xinhua)

As China's annual Mid-Autumn Festival holidays came to an end on Tuesday, railways, highways and airlines were seeing a surge in return travel. During the three-day holidays, the popularity of traditional Chinese cultural experiences, such as enjoying lantern displays and fireworks, moonlit boat rides and Hanfu garden tours, ignited new momentum in cultural tourism spending, injecting fresh energy into the nation's economic recovery.

The national railways were expected to record 15.2 million trips and scheduled an additional 1,030 passenger trains on Tuesday, the last day of the holidays, according to data from China Railway.
Airlines were expected to handle 1.85 million passenger trips, representing a 30.59 percent increase month-on-month, data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China showed.

Online travel platforms indicated that Chinese traditional cultural elements gained popularity, particularly among an increasing number of young travelers.

Online searches for moon-viewing tours grew by 61 percent, while interest in lantern-viewing tours skyrocketed by 267 percent compared with last year, data from travel platform Fliggy showed on Tuesday.

The recent popularity of the game Black Myth: Wukong sparked a surge in interest for ancient architecture tours. North China's Shanxi Province, home to the largest number of preserved ancient buildings in the country, saw a 16 percent increase in car rentals and self-driving tour bookings during the Mid-Autumn Festival holidays compared with the Dragon Boat Festival holidays (June 8-10). 

Ancient towns welcomed large numbers of visitors. Themed lantern cruise boats were introduced in Zhouzhuang - an ancient town in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province - featuring lanterns shaped like moons, koi fish and other designs, creating a picturesque scene of Suzhou's traditional life.

Whether exploring ancient architecture and historic towns or attending lantern festivals and fireworks displays, these seemingly traditional Chinese tourism activities were increasingly popular among young people, said Trip.com, another domestic travel platform.

"The integration of culture and tourism was a major highlight of this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, which increased tourism spending and promoted the preservation of cultural heritage," Jiang Yiyi, vice dean of the School of Leisure Sports and Tourism at Beijing Sport University, told the Global Times.

"The domestic tourism industry is on a path to a full recovery this year, with some local markets even exceeding pre-pandemic levels. While some high-end spending has declined, the growth in mass market consumption is firmly establishing a strong foundation, boosting the economic recovery," Jiang said.