“Red Tourism” is booming in China

Red Tourism is growing fast in China

While Chinese outbound travel is growing, domestic tourism inside China is growing faster. And one of the most popular forms of domestic travel is what Chinese people call “red tourism.” It is not a niche trend or a government project on paper. In 2024 and 2025 red tourism attracted hundreds of millions of visits per year, making it one of the biggest segments of the Chinese travel market.

What is Red Tourism exactly?

Red tourism refers to trips to places connected to Chinese Communist Party history and the revolutionary period. This includes the birthplaces of Mao Zedong, Long March routes, battle sites from the civil war, and villages where key moments of the revolution happened. The term “red” refers to communism, and these sites have been part of Chinese history education for decades.

Red tourism started in the mid-1980s as a way to preserve historical sites and promote patriotic education. The government supported it from early on, but the real growth came from genuine visitor interest, especially after the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2021 which brought a massive wave of attention to red sites across the country.

According to data from Ministry of Culture and Tourism China (mct.gov.cn), red tourism sites received over 1.4 billion visits in 2023, accounting for roughly 11% of all domestic tourism trips. The sector generates over 400 billion RMB in annual revenue and supports millions of jobs in rural and historically significant areas.

The most visited red tourism destinations

• Yan’an, Shaanxi: The base of the Communist Party during the anti-Japanese war. Considered the spiritual home of the revolution.
• Shaoshan, Hunan: Birthplace of Mao Zedong. The village receives millions of visitors each year, many from older generations but increasingly from young people too.
• Zunyi, Guizhou: Site of the famous Zunyi Conference in 1935, a turning point in the Long March.
• Jinggang Mountain, Jiangxi: Where Mao Zedong established the first rural revolutionary base. One of the most iconic red sites in China.
• Ruijin, Jiangxi: Starting point of the Long March, with well-preserved revolutionary museums and historic buildings.

Who visits red tourism sites?

For a long time, red tourism was mainly associated with older generations and organized group trips from government units or schools. That is still part of the visitor profile, but it is changing. Younger Chinese travelers between 20 and 35 are now a growing segment. They come for a mix of reasons: genuine historical interest, content creation for Douyin and Xiaohongshu, and a growing sense of national identity that is particularly strong among post-2000s Chinese.

Red tourism destinations are adapting to this younger audience. Many sites now offer immersive experiences, night shows, and interactive museums. Hotels and local restaurants have upgraded significantly in recent years. Red tourism is no longer just about visiting a memorial. It is becoming a full travel experience.

What Philip Chen says about red tourism and digital marketing

“Red tourism is one of the most interesting opportunities in Chinese domestic travel marketing right now. The destinations are real, the interest is genuine and the government support makes content distribution much easier. The challenge for destinations is reaching the new generation of visitors who plan through Xiaohongshu and Douyin rather than through state media or school trips. If you can connect the historical significance of these sites with content that feels personal and emotional on social platforms, you can reach a completely new audience that is already interested.” Philip Chen, digital marketing expert.

Case study: A red tourism hotel in Jiangxi that doubled its bookings

Wang Mingzhe manages a 60-room hotel in Jinggang Mountain, Jiangxi Province, one of China’s most famous red tourism destinations. The hotel is well placed and has good reviews on Ctrip, but most of its guests came through packaged group tours organized by schools and government units. Wang wanted to attract independent travelers, especially younger visitors who would spend more on food, experiences, and extended stays.

In early 2024 Wang worked with a digital marketing team to build a presence on Douyin and Xiaohongshu. The idea was to present Jinggang Mountain not just as a patriotic education destination but as a beautiful natural area with a deep story. The team created a content series called “Mountains with Memory” mixing landscape videos with short, personal stories about historical moments that happened at specific locations visitors could walk to from the hotel.

Three Douyin posts reached over 500,000 views in the first month, because the algorithm picked up on the strong engagement from users who saved and shared the historical story format. The Xiaohongshu account grew to 14,000 followers in 4 months, with posts showing hiking trails, local food, and the morning mist over the mountain.

The hotel also set up a WeChat Official Account with a booking link and a digital “journey guide” explaining the red sites within 10 km, with practical details like opening hours, transport, and recommended visit order. This guide was shared 4,200 times in 6 months.

Results after 12 months: independent traveler bookings increased by 120%. Average stay length went from 1.6 nights to 2.4 nights. Revenue per available room grew by 44%. And the hotel now gets a steady stream of young Chinese couples and friend groups who plan 3-day trips specifically around the hiking and history combination.

Wang says the change in guest profile was the most visible sign of success. “Before, we had mostly groups of retirees or school students. Now we have young professionals, couples, and photographers who stay longer and spend more on everything. The content brought a completely different type of visitor.”

To build a strategy like this for your destination, visit our services page or read about how Chinese tourists use social media to plan their trips.

Red Tourism and digital marketing: what the numbers show

According to China National Tourism Administration (cnta.gov.cn), red tourism destinations that actively manage their Douyin and Xiaohongshu presence have seen visitor growth 2 to 3 times faster than those relying only on traditional promotion channels. The data confirms what operators on the ground already know: young Chinese travelers discover destinations through content, not brochures.

How GMA Can Help

GMA helps tourism destinations, hotels, and travel operators in China build their presence on the platforms that drive modern Chinese travel decisions. Here is what we offer:

• Douyin (TikTok China) campaigns: Video content that shows your destination to millions of Chinese travelers through organic and paid reach
• WeChat Official Account management: Build a proper communication channel with guides, booking links, and direct messaging for guests
• Baidu SEO and PPC: Visibility on China’s main search engine when people look for travel information and hotel options
• RED (Xiaohongshu) influencer marketing: Reach the growing audience of young Chinese travelers who discover destinations through travel notes
• Chinese website design and localization: A Chinese-language site that loads fast, works on mobile, and converts visitors into bookings
• KOL and KOC partnerships: Connect with the right Chinese creators to build authentic content about your destination

About GMA

GMA (Chinese Tourist Agency) is a Shanghai-based digital marketing agency founded in 2012. We work with tourism boards, hotels, real estate developers, and luxury brands to help them reach Chinese consumers through targeted campaigns. Our team knows the Chinese market from the inside. Discover everything we offer on our services page.

Article written by Claire, content manager at GMA. April 2026.