During the recent Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, the top 50 5A scenic spots in China received a total of 2.21 million fewer deep-level tourists compared to 2024. This marks the third consecutive year of decline for these top 50 5A scenic spots, a trend that has sparked discussions across various platforms.
According to the China Tourist Behavior Monitoring and Decision-Making Service Culture and Tourism Department’s technical innovation center, the number of deep-level tourists (those staying in the scenic spots for over 1 hour) visiting the top 50 5A scenic spots in China during the 8-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday in 2025 decreased by 2.21 million compared to the same period last year.
An Qin, the general manager of the Three Gorges Waterfall Tourist Area in Yichang City (a 5A rated scenic spot), confirmed to Observer Net that the number of group tourists visiting the area has indeed declined this year.
Monitoring data also shows that during the long holidays from 2023 to 2025, the number of tourists visiting the top 50 5A graded scenic spots in China were 41.84 million, 38.43 million, and 36.22 million respectively, reflecting a cumulative decrease of approximately 13% over the three years.
In response to this trend, Yang Tao, a member of the expert committee of the China Tourist Attractions Association, was quoted by Observer Net on October 25, stating that the decline in tourists visiting 5A scenic spots signifies a historical “turning point” in China’s mass tourism market. This shift indicates the arrival of a new era where consumers are at the center, experience is prioritized, and content-driven tourism is taking over.
Sun Zhen, serving as a consultant for multiple 5A scenic spots, also noted, “Traditional 5A scenic spots that are expensive and crowded are gradually losing their status as preferred destinations during holidays.” Tourists now prioritize personalized experiences and are unwilling to pay a premium for them.
The growing disillusionment with 5A scenic spots among tourists can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, social media platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu have seen the rise of numerous posts warning against well-known 5A scenic spots, highlighting overcrowding issues and safety hazards, especially in mountainous areas.
Secondly, the high prices of tickets at 5A scenic spots often do not justify the experience. Many visitors complain that after purchasing tickets, they are faced with additional fees for most attractions, leading to a sense of being continuously charged. Additionally, some 5A scenic spots have been criticized for lacking unique landscapes and being overrun by commercialized “artificial” attractions, exacerbating issues of homogeneity.
Furthermore, while 5A scenic spots are perceived as expensive, crowded, and overly commercialized, county-level tourism destinations are gaining recognition for their relaxed atmosphere, untouched nature, and cost-effectiveness, values that are increasingly appreciated by tourists.
Professor Dong Guanzhi, the Vice Dean of the Tourism Planning and Design Institute at Jinan University, also expressed to Observer Net that the declining footfall in traditionally operated 5A scenic spots indicates an irreversible trend towards new operational models in the future.
In China, tourist attractions are graded from highest to lowest as AAAAA (5A), AAAA (4A), AAA (3A), AA (2A), and A levels according to the “Regulations on the Classification and Evaluation of Tourist Attraction Grades” and the national standard “Division and Evaluation of Tourist Attraction Grades”.
The first batch of 5A tourist attractions in China was selected in 2007, including renowned sites like the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and Jiuzhaigou, totaling 66 sites. By 2024, the number of 5A scenic spots had reached 358. However, with the rapid increase in the number of 5A scenic spots, various controversies emerged such as high ticket prices, inadequate reception capacity, and excessive commercialization.
Observer Net highlighted from the analysis data of multiple online travel platforms (OTAs) that the year-on-year growth rate of travel orders in first and second-tier cities is generally lower than that in third and fourth-tier cities, with the latter lagging behind county-level markets. The trend of “small county towns outshining big cities” has become a prominent feature in the holiday travel market.