CCTV gala’s branch venues prove hit with tourists

China’s annual Spring Festival TV gala has sparked a flurry of interest in travel to the four cities featured as branch venues during the extravaganza.

On Friday, Lunar New Year’s Eve, the cities of Shenyang in Liaoning province, Changsha in Hunan province, Xi’an in Shaanxi province, and Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, along with the main venue in Beijing, held a cross-city interactive Spring Festival Gala, live on China Central Television.

Data from Tongcheng Travel showed that from Friday night to Saturday, searches for the branch venues of the gala all increased significantly, with the biggest winners being Xi’an at 294 percent and Kashgar rising at 270 percent.

Last year, Kashgar received over 33.22 million visitors, generating tourism revenue exceeding 27.3 billion yuan ($3.80 billion). This year, the goal for Kashgar’s tourism sector is to receive 40 million visitors and achieve revenue of 34 billion yuan.

Spring Festival is the most important festival in China, a time for family reunions, and it ushered in an extended holiday period, during which tourism is proving popular.

On Tuesday, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the total number of people traveling between provincial-level regions reached approximately 301.4 million, an increase of 18.2 percent compared with the same period in 2023, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

According to online booking website Meituan, as of Jan 21, tourism-related bookings, including for hotel accommodation, scenic tickets, transportation, etc, from the Lunar New Year’s Eve to the eighth day of the Lunar New Year increased about seven times compared with last year.

Tuniu Travel Network pointed out in its 2024 Spring Festival Tourism Consumption Forecast Report that there is a clear trend of “cross-regional travel” during the holiday.

Specifically, tourists from Shanghai, as well as Jiangsu, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Hunan provinces are more inclined to choose the BeijingTianjin-Hebei region and the Northeast as their destinations, while tourists from Beijing, Tianjin, Shaanxi and Shandong provinces and the three provinces in the northeast show a stronger desire to travel to Hainan, Guangdong, Yunnan and Jiangsu provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

At the Shenyang branch venue of the Spring Festival Gala, a performance featuring the suona, a traditional woodwind instrument, and a piano duet, a contrasting combination of northeastern folk songs and modern rap, along with the unique snow and ice scenery, brought the festive atmosphere to a climax. During the holiday, Shenyang also experienced its first tourism peak.

The Changsha branch venue is located at the confluence of the Xiangjiang and Liuyang rivers, and attracted tourists and local residents after the broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala.

According to the local cultural and tourism department, Changsha planned nine tourism routes during the holiday, focusing on the beauty of Changsha’s mountains and rivers, its rich culture, and its development momentum.

The Xi’an branch venue combined tradition and modernity, presenting a millennium-spanning poetic duet to the audience, allowing them to immerse themselves in the unique Lunar New Year atmosphere of the ancient city of Xi’an.

This poetic performance continued offline, becoming a highlight of Xi’an’s cultural tourism activities.