Chinese tourists willing to pay more for quality experience: report

BEIJING -- China's tourism industry is heading toward high-quality development amid diversifying and expanding market demand, said an industry report.

Chinese tourists are willing to pay more for cultural immersion and better experiences such as tasty food and lodging comfort, according to a report jointly released by the China Tourism Academy and Mafengwo, a travel services and social networking platform.

Outdoor adventures and customized routes are the most prominent new trends of China's outbound tourism in 2019, the report found.

Smaller Chinese cities proved to have strong market potential, as 28 of the 50 cities with the fastest-growing popularity for DIY tours are third-tier cities, data from Mafengwo showed.

The country's promotion of the nighttime economy propelled tourism destinations nationwide to invest more in nighttime activities and services, while about one in every five survey respondents expressed interest in the fledgling sector.

As another defining trend of Chinese tourism in the past year, short videos on social networking platforms are becoming strong marketing outlets, most notably represented by panda videos shot in the southwestern city of Chengdu, according to the report.