Factory tourism a fast-growing pursuit

On a recent trip to the eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province, Beijing resident Zhang Xiaohui visited the Tsingtao Beer Museum, tracing the brewing process through a century-old factory complex before sampling a pint on site.

"I checked Xiaohongshu (Red-Note) for tips and booked the earliest slot, hoping it would be less crowded. I learned how beer is made and explored the brewery's history. I cannot drink a lot, but being able to learn, have fun and enjoy a drink made it a great experience," Zhang said.

Across China, tourists are venturing into breweries, shipyards, auto plants and repurposed mines, turning spaces once designed solely for industrial production into vibrant destinations for recreation, education and shopping.

Data from Tongcheng Travel, a leading Chinese online travel agency, showed that booking interest in factory-related travel products since the summer peak season began on July 1 had risen 36 percent year-on-year as of Aug 6. Family trips accounted for 68 percent of orders, while interest among travelers born after 2000 increased by 12 percent.

In addition, more than 80 percent of factory-tour orders were for destinations within a three-hour journey, suggesting the segment is becoming a key part of the weekend getaway market. Furthermore, more than 80 percent of travelers who added a factory visit to a longer itinerary spent an average of over three days in a single city.

Foreign tourists are also emerging as a significant source of demand. Booking interest in inbound factory-tour products on HopeGoo, Tongcheng's international travel platform, increased more than ninefold this summer from a year earlier.

Factory tourism is not a new concept in China. China FAW Group began opening its production lines in Changchun, Jilin province, to visitors as early as 1994. What is changing now is the scale and commercial ambition, as organized visits evolve into bookable consumer products combining factory access, education, entertainment and retail.

Shenzhen-based consultancy Zero Power Intelligence Group estimates the domestic industrial tourism market hit 120 billion yuan ($17.78 billion) in 2023 and expects it to exceed 300 billion yuan by 2029, representing a compound annual growth rate of 18 percent.

Policy support is also accelerating. The outline of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) calls for industrial tourism to be developed alongside rural tourism, wellness tourism and "red tourism". In May, seven central ministries and departments — including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology — jointly issued guidelines calling for more factory tours, industrial heritage attractions and technology-enabled experiences.

The policy encourages companies in equipment manufacturing, consumer goods and e-commerce logistics to offer production-line observation, simulated operations, hands-on workshops and product customization. It also calls on travel agencies and online platforms to develop specialized industrial study-tour products.

However, challenges remain. Most factories were originally designed for efficiency, safety and commercial secrecy, not leisure. Opening them to the public requires protected visitor corridors, trained guides and interactive displays, while ensuring that tours do not interfere with daily production.

Additionally, some projects struggle to move beyond static displays or generic industrial-style shops and cafes, thereby limiting repeat visits and post-admission spending.

An official from the Guangdong provincial department of industry and information technology said a shortage of professionals with expertise in both manufacturing and tourism — along with high investment costs and long payback periods — has discouraged some companies from opening their plants to visitors.

"Industrial tourism needs deeper cultural storytelling, more engaging experience design and a complete consumption loop," said Sun Xing, deputy director of the Industrial Culture Development Center under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Sun urged operators to move beyond passive sightseeing and combine factory tours with study trips, corporate team-building and nighttime activities.

That transition is already well underway. Factories are no longer merely places where goods are produced. Increasingly, they are also sites where holidays begin.