During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, Beijing’s tourism market thrived. The city welcomed a total of 7.792 million tourists and generated 10.09 billion yuan in tourism revenue. Various districts and relevant institutions combined folk culture with tourism activities, organizing over 2,100 cultural and tourism events, including 1,132 mass cultural activities with 1,306 sessions, 263 commercial performances with 846 shows. The Great Wall, folk customs, and suburban trips emerged as the main themes for travel during this year’s Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
1. Tourism Market During the Dragon Boat Festival Remains Active
During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism introduced six “Roam Beijing - Themed Itineraries around the Great Wall” and collaborated with various districts to host a series of “Cultural and Natural Heritage Day” activities to promote and display the intangible cultural heritage. Themed “Seeing the Mountains, Looking at the Water, and Enjoying the Folk Customs”, five distinctive rural villages in the suburbs of Beijing were highlighted. A rich “cultural and tourism feast” was offered to the public and tourists. The top ten scenic spots in terms of tourist reception were Wangfujing, Qianmen Dajie, Nanluoguxiang, Olympic Park, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Beijing Solana, COFCO Xiangyun Town, Beijing Capital Outlets Leisure Station, and Shougang Park.
During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, rural tourism attracted 1.351 million tourists, marking a year-on-year increase of 16.3%, and generated operating income of 172.734 million yuan, up 8.3% year-on-year. The top three tourist destinations were Yanqing District with 471,000 tourists, Miyun District with 289,000 tourists, and Huairou District with 280,000 tourists. The demand for rural homestays with “home party” and “villa” labels is on the rise. The average occupancy rate of rural homestays was 67%, an increase of 7 percentage points year-on-year, accommodating a total of 112,300 tourists.
2. A Rich Variety of Cultural Activities
During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, public cultural service institutions at all levels in the city organized a total of 1,132 mass cultural activities with 1,306 sessions, with 1.41 million citizens participating, an increase of 14% over the previous year. The Beijing Library, the Grand Canal Museum, and the Beijing Performing Arts Center received a total of 59,000 visitors. The Beijing Library held a Kun Qu opera performance titled “Long-lasting Drama, Moving Melody”. Xicheng District held a Cultural and Natural Heritage Day and Dragon Boat Festival cultural event in 2024. Chaoyang District organized a series of cultural events to celebrate the festival. Haidian District hosted a garden tour for the festival. Fangshan District presented an event for touristes to experience intangible cultural heritage crafts, etc.
Various scenic spots, performing arts projects, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and holiday activities related to traditional culture were popular with tourists. The National Botanical Garden (North Garden), Zhongshan Park and Yuyuantan Park all organized activities utilized natural observation, ecological guided tours, and interactive lectures to help visitors identify plants and embark on a cultural and scientific journey in the summer. At the Temple of Heaven, Taoranting Park, Yuyuantan Park, Xiangshan Park, and other locations, citizens and tourists experienced traditional customs related to the Dragon Boar Festival to pray for good health, and experience the sense of ritual that is unique to the festival.
3. The Performance Market Creates a Strong Festive Atmosphere
During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, 154 performance venues in the city held 263 commercial performances with 846 sessions, and attracted 261,000 spectators. The number of performances, spectators, and box office revenue increased by 19.5%, 30.4%, and 1.4% year-on-year, respectively. Compared to the same period in 2019, these figures saw even more significant growth, with performances, spectators, and box office revenue increasing by 137.0%, 68.6%, and 151.3%, respectively.
The Dragon Boat Festival theme performances were rich and colorful. Concerts, Chinese operas, folk art, and other forms of themed and special performances celebrated the festival with citizens and tourists. The National Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall and the Beijing Concert Hall hosted respectively the Dragon Boat Festival concerts of the China National Traditional Orchestra and the China National Symphony Orchestra. The National Center for the Performing Arts Theater presented a special performance of classic Peking opera plays; the Beijing Performing Arts Center also presented a special performance for traditional folk art.
Other notable performances included the English original musical Love Neve Lies at the Beijing Poly Theatre, the Concert between Zhang Haochen and the Paris Chamber Orchestra at the National Center for the Performing Arts. The dance Dào V. 2.0 by the U-Theatre was performed at the National Center for the Performing Arts for three days. Other excellent works have also been staged in multiple venues.
A series of performances and activities were held. The “Classic Forever” performance season, organized by the Beijing Performing Arts Service Platform, featured a variety of performances. The 10th Beijing Outstanding Children’s Stage Play Performance was performed at the Haidian Theater; The 9th China Original Drama Invitational Exhibition launched the 2024 version of the drama Ten Miles of Spring Wind Can’t Compare to You at the National Theatre.
During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the comprehensive law enforcement department of the urban cultural market dispatched a total of 2,733 law enforcement officers to inspect 1,462 cultural and tourism venues. The urban cultural and tourism department conducted in-depth safety and fire safety supervision and inspection, dispatching 1,048 inspectors to 691 cultural and tourism venues. They urged all market entities to promptly address any issues found during inspections, ensuring a stable and orderly holiday tourism market.
