Xi'an's cultural tourism sees strong start to 2026

China's domestic tourism market saw a strong start to 2026 during the New Year's Day holiday from Jan 1 to 3. Relying on its rich cultural heritage and innovative cultural and tourism offerings, Xi'an has become one of China's top 10 tourist destinations, with a 72 percent year-on-year increase in tourism orders.

The "Chang'an Lantern Festival", which will run simultaneously at the Xi'an City Wall and Tang Paradise from Jan 1 to March 22, has emerged as a holiday hit. More than 50 national treasures and 39 famous Tang poems have been transformed into lantern sets, allowing citizens and tourists to immerse themselves in Tang artistry during the 81-day exhibition, which will span three major festivals.

The "12 Hours of Chang'an" themed block featured winter scenes, including traditional acrobatic performances, allowing tourists to experience cultural charm through participation.

Night events, such as themed performances at Tang Everbright City and New Year countdowns hosted by major scenic spots, were popular among young people, ranking the Xi'an Bell Tower and Drum Tower business district among the top three most popular business districts nationwide. Bookings at surrounding hotels also soared twofold compared to last year.

Xi'an's well-known cultural and creative brand "rongmomo" saw a sales peak across its stores, with New Year's Day holiday sales up 2.3 percent year-on-year and 8.5 percent month-on-month compared with an ordinary weekend in December. Sales of new products accounted for more than 40 percent of total revenue, setting a new record for New Year's Day holiday sales.

With the launch of more immersive cultural tourism projects and the optimization of smart tourism services, Xi'an is becoming a world-class cultural tourism destination and is expected to maintain its strong cultural tourism appeal in 2026, providing a "Xi'an sample" for high-quality national cultural tourism development.