Discovering local life beyond landscapes

Longer stays

When she started working in Nalati, many hotel guests arrived by shuttle bus and followed the classic "high-altitude grasslands" route. They took photographs, and stayed one night before leaving early the next morning.

Over the past two years, she has noticed more visitors driving themselves and staying longer.

Nalati has three main sightseeing routes. Its self-driving tickets are valid for 48 hours, and more visitors use the extra time by staying at least two nights.

"Instead of treating the hotel as a place to sleep between scenic-area visits, some spend more time relaxing near their accommodation and look to experience local life," she says.

An afternoon tea project inside a yurt, introduced this year, allows visitors to try freshly made salty milk tea, baursak, and other local foods. Some guests also receive coupons for free horseback riding.

"They ask questions about local customs, food and language more now, rather than only asking where the next scenic spot is," she says.

Her observations come amid continued growth in domestic tourism, as travelers spend more time and money exploring destinations beyond conventional sightseeing.

In 2025, domestic travelers made 6.52 billion trips, up 16.2 percent year-on-year, while domestic tourism spending reached 6.3 trillion yuan ($940.7 billion), up 9.5 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The changing tourism landscape is also reflected in the country's plans for the next five years. On Sept 16, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued its culture and tourism development plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, which calls for improving tourism products and services, developing new tourism formats, and promoting closer integration of culture and tourism, including more coordinated development between urban and rural areas.

The change is also visible in Foping county, Shaanxi province, where nature educator He Xinyue has found that visitors are looking beyond the destination's best-known attraction.