Nighttime cultural tourism on the rise

Wang Yongming, an employee in a construction enterprise in Foshan, Guangdong province, found his recent nighttime trip to the Shunde Museum refreshing. Wang pointed out that in the past, he either went to restaurants or karaoke bars after work since many activities were closed at night.

Consumers like Wang bring about emerging demands for nighttime cultural and tourism products. Compared with traveling during the day, nighttime tours allow visitors to experience the local culture in a more casual manner, which meets current demand, insiders explained.

The Chinese government proposed developing the nighttime culture and tourism economy and encouraged tourist attractions to open at night in an official paper released in August.

By 2022, more than 200 national nighttime consumption areas will be established, said the paper.

Hainan province in South China has introduced various forms of night tourism in its scenic spots, such as island camping, performances and boat trips, to encourage tourists to stay overnight.

Besides Hainan, provinces like Shaanxi, Liaoning, Gansu and Shandong have also taken measures to boost nighttime tourism. Riding the wave of hit TV series The Longest Day in Chang'an (now Xi'an, Shaanxi province), the city prolonged opening hours of the Shaanxi History Museum and the Bai Lu Yuan Studios to attract more consumers.

The policies from both the central and local government are fueling the development of nighttime tourism, said He Haitao, the marketing and brand manager with Lighttrip, a company engaged in cultivating nighttime tourism.