China’s Spring Festival Sees Tourism Boost Fueled by Blockbuster Films
BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) — Blockbuster films are reshaping holiday travel patterns and fueling a nationwide boom in movie-inspired tourism during the Year of the Horse in China. The success extends beyond box office numbers, impacting destinations featured in popular films.
Box Office and Tourism Revenue Surge
As of Saturday, the total Spring Festival box office revenue, including pre-sales, surpassed 4 billion yuan (approximately 576 million U.S. Dollars). The racing-comedy “Pegasus 3” currently tops the charts, driving a significant increase in tourism to its filming locations.
“Pegasus 3” Drives Regional Tourism
Data from the travel platform Qunar reveals a 40 percent surge in hotel bookings in Garze, Sichuan Province – a primary shooting location for “Pegasus 3” – compared to the previous year’s Spring Festival holiday. Bookings in Delingha, Qinghai Province, another filming site, jumped by 71 percent. Shanghai resident Xia Lin, a devoted fan of the “Pegasus” franchise since its 2019 launch, exemplifies this trend, stating she immediately planned a family trip to Garze after seeing the latest installment.
Themed City Tours Gain Popularity
The film’s influence extends to urban areas, with Shanghai experiencing a new wave of themed city tours. Metro lines, bridges, parks, and landmarks featured in “Pegasus 3” have turn into popular spots for fans. According to Yang Han, a researcher at Qunar’s Big Data Research Institute, the driving effect of films on culture and tourism began earlier this year than in previous years.
“Blades of the Guardians” Inspires Desert Travel
The comic-adapted film “Blades of the Guardians,” directed by Yuen Woo-ping and starring Jet Li and Wu Jing, is also contributing to the tourism boom. Searches for desert sightseeing and desert highway tours climbed 60 percent ahead of the film’s release, highlighting interest in the dramatic landscapes of Xinjiang.
Government Initiatives and the “Film+” Model
The convergence of film and tourism during this Spring Festival is not solely organic; it’s also driven by systematic initiatives and government policies. The China Film Administration launched campaigns such as “Travel with Films,” “Taste Cuisine with Films,” and “Shopping with Films” in 2026. Local governments have responded with consumption vouchers, themed routes, and cross-sector promotions.
Provincial Campaigns
Guangdong Province launched a province-wide travel-with-films campaign following the release of Zhang Yimou’s spy thriller “Scare Out,” unveiling 60 film-themed travel routes spanning 21 cities. Shanghai’s Hongkou District partnered 11 cinemas with dozens of commercial and cultural venues to create immersive “New Year in the Movies” experiences, offering ticket-stub discounts and interactive installations. Sichuan distributed movie consumption vouchers worth over 4 million yuan from Feb. 8 to 19, combining film discounts with dining and tourism subsidies.
A Maturing Consumption Structure
Experts note that this “film+” model signifies a maturation of China’s holiday consumption structure. Spring Festival moviegoing has evolved from mere entertainment into a ritualized cultural activity intertwined with family reunions and experiential travel. Hou Keming, a professor at the Beijing Film Academy, emphasizes that a film’s value extends beyond box office performance, generating ripple effects across tourism, catering, and other sectors, with economic and cultural impacts extending far beyond the screen.