I. The Macro Trends (Macro Perspective)
"People are coming, but money isn't," will become the most distinct pain point for the cultural tourism industry. Despite social pressures driving the desire to travel, economic pressures are causing people to tighten their purse strings. Consequently, while tourist volume continues to grow, actual per capita consumption continues to decline.
The landscape of "the strong getting stronger and winners taking all" will become even more pronounced. Resources are accelerating their concentration toward top-tier destinations and leading cultural tourism conglomerates. A large number of homogenized, uncompetitive small and medium-sized players will be forced to exit the market or be consolidated/acquired by large groups.
The hotel industry is experiencing unprecedented "consumption stratification and polarization." Tourists are either pursuing ultimate value-for-money (e.g., budget hotels under 300 RMB) or are willing to pay a premium for experience (e.g., high-end boutique hotels above 3,000 RMB), or they favor distinctive theme hotels. Standardized hotels that fall in the middle in terms of price, experience, and features will face a squeeze on both ends regarding customer traffic and revenue.
The shift in performing arts toward "the retreat of grand spectacles and the rise of the small-scale/micro" is inevitable. Hollow performances relying on massive casts, lights, and music have led to aesthetic fatigue, causing large-scale real-scene performances to lose their appeal. Small-scale, interactive, and dramatic shows are more favored, with "making the tourist the protagonist" as the core logic.
The importance of a city's "narrative value" will be pushed to its peak. Possessing landscape resources or historical heritage no longer constitutes an absolute advantage. The ability to continuously produce touching stories, trending topics, and experiential content will become the core competitiveness for cities to attract visitors.
II. Consumption Trends (Consumption Perspective)
"Buying health" is deeply rooted in the public mind, making emotional healing a mainstream trend in cultural tourism consumption. Healing products that offer decompression, catharsis, and a sense of relaxation for urbanites—such as nostalgic blocks, music camping, forest therapy, and art walks—will command higher premiums.
"Buying events" is captivating; traveling to a city for a passion has become the norm. Events like concerts, sports tournaments, and anime conventions have become reasons to travel. Destinations deeply binding with popular IPs will create more cross-over gameplay, bringing explosive instantaneous customer traffic and consumption booms.
"Buying relationships" is highly anticipated; people hope that travel will make relationships better. Combined products for customized services, such as family tours, girlfriend getaways, and pet travel, often hide opportunities worth discovering.
"Interest circles" are accelerating their rise; operating vertical communities holds greater commercial value. Cultural tourism circles with shared hobbies—such as the two-dimensional (ACG) culture, outdoor sports, Hanfu, and e-sports—have high willingness to pay. Operating a high-purity niche circle is far more profitable than trying to please the mass market.
The "lonely economy" cannot be ignored; solo travel has become a key track. Services that cater to the dignity and joy of traveling alone—from private guides and exclusive routes to immersive solitude—will foster a massive market.
III. Value Trends (Value Perspective)
"Small Town Stories" have the opportunity to rise as a popular choice; managing "vibrancy/authenticity" is more cost-effective than investing in large projects. Small counties with strong local life vibes and high travel cost-performance ratios will continue to emerge as tourist destinations, satisfying people's need for a "sense of escape."
Destination promotion is transitioning from "top-down" to "bottom-up." The beauty of a place is no longer defined by official promotional videos but is stitched together by the individualized and emotional content of countless tourists. The official role shifts to discovery, amplification, and adding fuel to the fire.
Overly commercialized scenic spots with heavy artificial traces will be abandoned by tourists. Tourist destinations that retain original styles and cultural authenticity will be highly sought after by the market.
The shift from "short-distance surrounding tours" to "in-depth local tours" is becoming a high-frequency choice for daily leisure. The value of projects like exquisite camping, parent-child handicrafts, and creative renovations of old factories in city peripheries awaits re-evaluation.
More and more people are abandoning bustling group tours, forcing travel agencies to develop more niche customized products and routes. For example, developing 6-8 person premium small group tours for the silver-hair generation, using age-friendly services to build unique competitiveness.
IV. Strategic Trends (Strategic Perspective)
The cultural tourism industry generally needs to do subtraction rather than addition. Previously, the industry generally pursued large-scale development with full business formats and multiple functions. However, new rounds of consumption demand changes require precise positioning of customer groups, stripping redundant businesses, focusing on core content, and creating unique value.
With the continuous rise in customer acquisition costs on OTA and public domain platforms, more enterprises are required to start laying out membership systems and private domain communities to increase repurchase rates and build a fundamental traffic base.
AI will become infrastructure like water and electricity, and a tool like the mobile phone. In operations, it will become standard for intelligent navigation, precision marketing, and cost reduction/efficiency increase. One must grow together with AI.
Various cultural tourism concepts will continue to emerge endlessly, requiring one to maintain "open alertness." Knowing what is genuine and what is just bluffing allows one to judge specific situations calmly and with ease. For instance, regarding "digital cultural tourism," many places blindly install VR navigation and digital screens, which, besides increasing operational costs, are practically useless.
Telling Chinese stories well. Participating in the queue of "telling Chinese stories well" is a deterministic dividend bestowed by the times upon cultural tourism professionals.