Staycations soar as travelers embrace local experiences

There are also events with the themes of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and the Lunar New Year.

Children can dress up in different costumes and build winter sports gear such as ice skates with Lego bricks.

The center regularly invites experts from various fields to share their stories with children. For example, in February, children can learn about the culture and history of winter sports in China and the do's and don'ts for exercise in winter, via a lecture.

Culture legacy and intangible cultural heritage lure tourists

Culture experiences and activities are also appealing to visitors.

In Suzhou, Jiangsu province, Yan Wei's routine is to guide small tour groups－no more than 12 travelers, to the city's traditional gardens and museums, with informative commentaries.

"Such in-depth tours with quality commentaries are the prevailing trend. The demand is higher in cities full of culture and history, like Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an, Shaanxi province," says Yan, president of Suzhou Tour Guide Association, who has been a tour guide for 22 years.

"The experience is subject to a guide's ability, such as a reserve of knowledge and route designs."

He notices that more tourists are willing to pay several hundred yuan for such services, but further time is needed to create more tourism products and foster the market.

According to him, because it's important to keep social distance during the ongoing COVID-19, small group tours and independent travel have become more popular.

Many of his guests are middle aged, and already have an economic base. Some are from Generation Z born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s, who are willing to pay for knowledge. Some are locals or those from neighboring cities.

"Parents and children like to come together. It's like a culture and history class, vividly taught on-site in places of historic interest and museums," he says.

"The commentary of Suzhou's gardens combines various subjects, ranging from aesthetics and literature to calligraphy. Such an experience is very different from listening to an audio tour guide device," he says.