'Red tourism' gains momentum across nation during Qingming Festival holidays

Patriotic-themed tourism, also known as "red tourism," gained momentum during this year's Qingming Festival holidays as more young people paid tribute to national heroes across the country. Experts said the public's growing interest in these patriotic sites will help strengthen solidarity and build national identity.　

During the Qingming Festival holidays, red tourism heated up nationwide, with people visiting martyrs' cemeteries, revolutionary memorial halls and other red tourism attractions to commemorate national martyrs, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Friday.　

Statistics show that starting from the week before the Qingming Festival holidays, red tourism was on the rise, with the number of tourists reaching a peak on Thursday, a 37 percent increase compared with the daily average before the holiday and a year-on-year increase of 10 percent, according to the CCTV report.

From the perspective of tourist numbers, Tiananmen Square, the Jinggangshan scenic area, the Yan'an revolution memorial site, Orange Isle (Juzizhou), and the Xibaipo scenic area were among the most popular red tourism destinations during the Qingming Festival holidays.

Data shows that family outings accounted for 45 percent of the overall red tourism population. Regarding the age distribution of red tourism visitors, the highest proportion was made up of individuals aged 31 to 40, reaching 35 percent. In terms of tourist origin, visitors in this age group mainly came from Beijing, Changsha, Nanchang, Guangzhou and Shijiazhuang.

In East China's Jiangsu Province, the Memorial of New Fourth Army Jiangnan Headquarters located in Liyang received 24,000 tourists on Thursday and Friday, the first two days of the Qingming Festival holidays, with the daily number of visits up 29 percent compared with that of the 2023 Qingming Festival.

The increasing popularity of red tourism shows the public's growing interest toward China's revolutionary history and China's modern history, which are essential parts of Chinese history, Zhang Yiwu, a professor of cultural studies at Peking University, told the Global Times on Saturday, pointing out that red tourism explains to people the origin of the country and helps people to gain a better understanding of their national identity.