Chongqing - The night sky above Chongqing's riverbanks transformed into a canvas of light as 10,000 drones painted a "galloping horse." Hongyadong's stilted buildings glowed under illuminations, drawing crowds to the mountain city's famed nightscape. In rural areas, molten iron fireworks - an intangible cultural heritage performance - showered sparks across the sky.

The scene of the drone light show on Chinese New Year's Eve in Chongqing. (Photo/Shi Tao)

During the 2026 Year of the Horse Spring Festival holiday - the longest on record at nine days - Chongqing's cultural tourism sector passed a major test with flying colors, delivering a performance that reinforced its status as a perennial national favorite.

Data from the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development shows that 130 monitored A-level scenic spots received a cumulative 12.6 million domestic visits during the holiday, marking a 5.6% year-on-year increase. Ten monitored tourist and leisure districts recorded 4.93 million visits, up 19.3% from the previous year.

The inbound tourism market also demonstrated robust recovery, ranking among China's top 10 destinations. Chongqing received 28,500 inbound overnight visitors - a remarkable surge of 52.1% compared to last year's Spring Festival.

Tourists capture the night view of Chongqing. (Photo/Shi Tao)

This nine-day cultural tourism phenomenon represents not only the continuation of Chongqing's "internet-famous" popularity but also a substantive step in its transformation from a photo-stop destination to a comprehensive travel experience. The municipality is leveraging three key dimensions to ignite the holiday market and chart a new course for high-quality cultural tourism development.

Market Vitality: Night Tours and Inbound Tourism Surge

The warmth of Chongqing's cultural tourism market during Spring Festival is tangible, reflected in data that reveals unleashed consumer vitality through synchronized supply and demand.

On Chinese New Year's Eve at 8:30 PM, under the glittering lights along the two rivers, 10,000 drones ascended to the melody of "I Love You, China," forming images of camellias, galloping horses, and pandas delivering blessings. This "Dynamic Chongqing" drone light show, running from the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month to the sixth day of the first lunar month, kicked off Spring Festival celebrations with a contemporary vibe, igniting consumer enthusiasm.

Streets throughout Chongqing buzzed with activity during the holiday. At Jiefangbei, throngs of tourists wandered with Bingtanghulu (candied hawthorn snacks) in hand, cameras at the ready. At Guanyinqiao, visitors queued to photograph the giant "I'm in Chongqing" illuminated sign. Hongyadong's stilted buildings shimmered under the lights, with long lines snaking along riverside viewing platforms.

Tourists take photos at the "I'm in Chongqing" sign in Guanyinqiao. (Photo/Liu Zhao)

Beyond the classic landmarks, new nighttime cultural products - particularly lantern festivals - proved highly popular. According to Ctrip data, bookings for travel packages including lantern festivals or light shows surged, with "reunion plus lantern viewing" emerging as a mainstream holiday travel mode. The "Xi Huan Ni" Water Lantern Festival at the Garden Expo Park, the largest such event in Western China this year, became a top attraction. More than 2,000 visitors gathered at the lake to photograph the "Phoenix Seeking Mate" lantern installation's reflection, making nighttime cruise tickets extremely scarce.

The standout performance of the inbound tourism market was a major highlight this year. Chongqing ranked among China's top 10 destinations for inbound travel during Spring Festival. Yuzhong District performed particularly well, with inbound overnight visitors surging 178% year-on-year between February 15 and 18. Leveraging its vibrant food scene, internationalized commercial districts, and convenient shopping experiences, Yuzhong successfully charmed global tourists.

During the Spring Festival holiday, crowds of tourists gather near the Hongyadong. (Photo/Shi Tao)

To welcome international visitors, the district launched four signature inbound travel routes connecting core cultural landmarks and achieved full coverage of the "instant tax refund" scheme in the Jiefangbei-Chaotianmen duty-free demonstration block. Overseas visitors could also receive exclusive consumption voucher packages through popular e-wallets like AlipayHK and Kakao Pay, making Chongqing a preferred destination for international tourists during the Chinese New Year and further enhancing the city's global cultural tourism influence.

Experience Upgrade: From Check-in to Immersion

While market vitality represents the external manifestation of cultural tourism development, the upgrade in experience constitutes its inner core. The most distinct change in Chongqing's cultural tourism this Spring Festival was the profound shift from "check-in style travel" to "immersive experience."

On February 20 - the third day of the first lunar month - at Sanbanxi Luye Park in Liangjiang New Area, citizens experienced Datiehua, the intangible cultural heritage performance of molten iron fireworks, feeling the genuine atmosphere of the Chinese New Year. The park, renovated just before the holiday, saw daily visitor flow surge to 30,000. This popularity reflects Chongqing's precise grasp of cultural tourism experience - moving away from superficial enthusiasm of fleeting visits toward the emotional resonance of deep participation, allowing visitors to feel the charm of Bayu culture and create lasting holiday memories.

Throughout the Spring Festival, Chongqing hosted over 1,300 cultural and tourism activities spanning themed events, public-benefit initiatives, and Sichuan-Chongqing collaborative programs. This comprehensive approach facilitated a leap in tourism experience.

The living inheritance of intangible cultural heritage made traditional culture tangible and interactive. The Three Gorges Museum's Cultural Relics Protection Base invited inheritors to conduct workshops on woodblock Chinese New Year prints and paper-cutting. Jiangjin's Zhongshan Ancient Town integrated its famous Thousand-Meter Long Banquet with photo walls, intangible cultural heritage performances, and a Chinese New Year's fair. Tongliang's intangible cultural heritage dragon dance even offered an online booking experience, allowing visitors to physically join the parade.

Visitors participate in intangible cultural heritage activities. (Photo/Three Gorges Museum)

Product integration fostered new cultural tourism formats. The combination of theater and night tours became a new trend for the Spring Festival. Chongqing Changjiang Two-River Cruises collaborated with Mahua FunAge to create a mobile riverside theater on a cruise ship, integrating Chongqing elements like hotpot dance and Sichuan Opera face-changing with rap, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in Bayu-culture while enjoying the night scenery.

The vigorous rise of rural tourism painted a vivid picture of urban-rural integration and shared prosperity. Meixin Red Wine Town in Fuling District offered immersive interactive activities themed around the Year of the Horse and Bayu customs, receiving 842,000 visitors over the nine-day holiday, making it one of the top-performing scenic spots. By continuously strengthening visitor participation, Chongqing's rural tourism is becoming a significant option for holiday travel, driving rural development through cultural tourism vitality.

Dragon and lion dance performance. (Photo/Meixin Red Wine Town)

The deepening collaboration between Sichuan and Chongqing also injected new momentum. During the holiday, the two regions jointly aired the 2026 Sichuan-Chongqing Spring Festival Gala and held a joint exhibition on Year of the Horse zodiac culture. Additionally, the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor themed train project was launched, creating immersive cultural experience spaces through an innovative transportation-plus-culture tourism model.

Service Upgrades: Smart Empowerment and Enhanced Benefits

For cultural tourism development, visitor flow is the foundation, but retention is the key.

On February 19 - the third day of the lunar new year - Chongqing welcomed the peak visitor flow of the holiday. Unlike previous years, despite the massive crowds, order was well maintained. This was thanks to Chongqing's smart empowerment of its cultural tourism sector, effectively converting flow into retention.

Smart cultural tourism alleviates travel burdens for visitors. "It's so convenient to travel in Chongqing now," said a tourist from Hubei Province. "I used an AI assistant on my phone and booked a hotel not far from Hongyadong in one minute. It also planned the best viewing spots and routes to avoid traffic." Fliggy data shows that AI hotel bookings during Spring Festival increased more than twofold month-on-month, with Chongqing ranking among the top five cities for this service.

Besides AI booking, smart dispatching played a crucial role in ensuring smooth traffic at scenic spots. Hongyadong utilized a big data monitoring platform to track crowd density in real time. Once a threshold was reached, immediate flow control measures were initiated, and information was promptly released via official channels to guide visitors to travel at staggered times.

Facing the extreme peak visitor flow during the nine-day holiday, the Three Gorges Museum proactively activated high-level crowd management plans, scientifically dispatching using a dynamic monitoring plus temporary flow control model. When the number of visitors inside approached 4,000, broadcast announcements advised flow control measures, and volunteers were deployed at main passageways to guide visitors.

Tourists soak in hot springs. (Photo/Tongjing Hot Springs)

To allow citizens and tourists to share in the holiday benefits, Chongqing introduced unprecedentedly generous public-benefit policies during Spring Festival. Over 1,200 commercial enterprises citywide offered discounts, full reductions, and subsidies. A total of 80 million yuan (approximately $11.5 million) worth of cultural tourism consumption subsidies and vouchers were distributed. Municipal-level state-owned performing arts troupes reserved 15 percent of tickets priced under 100 yuan (about $14.40). Fifty scenic spots offered ticket reductions and accommodation packages, combined with hot spring consumption incentives, ensuring benefits reached consumers directly.

"This year, our family of four went to hot springs in Beibei," said a citizen surnamed Li. "The discount activities and hot spring plus accommodation packages were very cost-effective. These tangible subsidies make holiday travel more affordable and encourage people to go out and enjoy the festive atmosphere."

According to official data, the Spring Festival holiday saw Chongqing's cultural institutions operating at full capacity. The municipality's 42 public libraries and 41 cultural centers remained open, offering extensive online and offline services. They recorded 761,800 in-person visits and served 837,400 users online. A total of 612 mass cultural activities attracted 1.36 million participants, delivering a rich cultural feast to citizens.

Museums and intangible cultural heritage sites also saw remarkable engagement. During the holiday, museums across Chongqing presented 96 exhibitions and 129 educational activities themed around the Year of the Horse zodiac, receiving 2.59 million visitors - a 37.74% year-on-year increase. Focusing on the theme "Intangible Cultural Heritage Celebrates the Chinese New Year, Discover the Taste of Chinese Spring Festival," over 450 intangible cultural heritage activities attracted more than 1.6 million participants.

Launch of the "Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor" themed train project. (Photo/Xin Fei)

As the nine-day holiday concluded, the warmth of Chongqing's cultural tourism remains unabated. The figures - 12.6 million domestic visitors and 28,500 inbound overnight visitors - represent not just numbers, but a high degree of recognition for the quality of Chongqing's cultural tourism offerings. They also signify the city's solid progress in transitioning from an internet celebrity to a sustained hit, and from a check-in spot to a true destination.

Standing at the new starting point of the Year of the Horse 2026, and operating at full horsepower, Chongqing plans to further strengthen cultural tourism integration, optimize product supply, and enhance service quality. It aims to continuously amplify the brand influence of "Majestic Landscapes, Dynamic Chongqing," driving the cultural tourism industry toward even higher quality development and writing a new chapter in Chongqing's cultural tourism story.