Many scenic spots across multiple regions are offering free admission policies, and the post-holiday tourism market is showing signs of a "off-season not quiet" trend.

Source: Securities Times Network Author: Cao Chen

Recently, several scenic spots have announced free admission policies, and the combined demand for spring outings along with the “free admission effect” has quickly warmed up March, a traditional off-peak season for cultural and tourism activities. The post-holiday cultural and tourism market is showing characteristics of “not dull in the off-season.”

According to incomplete statistics, as of now, multiple provinces across the country including Jiangxi, Henan, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Anhui have launched limited-time free admission discounts for scenic spots (some scenic spots are limited to specific visitors). Data from the Tongcheng travel platform shows that in the past week, the search popularity of keywords such as “free admission to scenic spots” and “off-peak travel” has continued to rise, with a month-on-month increase of 358%. Among them, the Yuntai Mountain Scenic Area, Shenyang Palace Museum, Lushan Scenic Area, Tianji Longmen, and Qingtian River Scenic Area have entered the top 10 list of scenic spots with soaring popularity for free admission nationwide.

As of March 4, the search and booking popularity of hotels and scenic area tickets on the platform has significantly declined compared to the peak during the Spring Festival, but still shows over 10% growth compared to the same period last year. The search volume for some popular scenic spots has increased by as much as 2.6 times, demonstrating the “not dull in the off-season” phenomenon. In terms of visitor structure, the homecoming trips and inter-provincial tours that dominated during the Spring Festival are gradually cooling down, while local and surrounding tourism is becoming increasingly active.

Specifically, the Lushan Scenic Area in Jiangxi is waiving admission fees for all domestic and foreign visitors in March. In the past week, the search volume for the Lushan Scenic Area has increased by 156% compared to the previous week, and hotel bookings around the scenic area have increased by 23% year-on-year. In addition, the Yuntai Mountain Scenic Area in Henan is offering free admission in March for visitors from the four provinces of Henan, Shanxi, Shandong, and Hebei, leading to a 244% increase in search volume for the scenic area, while hotel bookings around it have grown by 18% year-on-year. The Shenyang Palace Museum is offering 3,000 free tickets daily for appointment by Shenyang citizens from March 3 to March 8, and its search and appointment popularity on the Tongcheng platform has increased by 163%, with tickets quickly being snatched up after becoming available on March 3 and 4.

Data from Qunar shows that the “free admission effect” has directly driven a surge in hotel bookings around multiple scenic spots. On February 25, Lushan officially announced that from March 1 to 31, 2026, it would offer free admission to all domestic and foreign visitors, covering eight core scenic spots including Lushan Scenic Area, Sanfong Spring, and Bailudong Academy. Following the announcement, hotel bookings in the business district where Lushan is located surged significantly; as of now, bookings for hotels around Lushan in March have increased fivefold compared to the week before the announcement.

The data also shows that during the same period, hotel bookings in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi have also been boosted, increasing by 2.6 times month-on-month, reflecting the trend of tourists taking the opportunity of free admission to explore surrounding cities more deeply.

Quzhou, Zhejiang will offer free admission to 13 core scenic spots for global tourists starting from November 2025 until March 31, 2026. Data from Qunar shows that during the free admission period, hotel bookings across Quzhou City increased by nearly 20% year-on-year. Among them, the driving effect of free admission scenic spots is particularly prominent: hotels near Jianglang Mountain saw a year-on-year increase of 47%, those near the ancient town of Twenty-Eight Du increased by 21%, and those near Shuitingmen and the Confucius Temple increased by 18%.

On February 25, Yuntai Mountain in Jiaozuo, Henan announced free admission in March for the four provinces of Henan, Shanxi, Shandong, and Hebei. As of now, hotel bookings in Jiaozuo City for March have increased by 2.5 times month-on-month.

On February 11, Ma’anshan, Anhui announced that five scenic spots would be open for free to global tourists until March 31. Data from Qunar shows that within 15 days of the announcement, hotel bookings for March in the local area increased by 3.1 times month-on-month.

Yang Han, a researcher at the Qunar Big Data Research Institute, analyzed that the free admission to scenic spots has lowered the threshold for travel decisions among tourists. By exchanging “reduction” in ticket prices for “addition” in visitor flow, it not only quickly activates traffic around scenic spots but also creates a significant consumption spillover effect, driving local and cross-regional cultural and tourism consumption. At the same time, free admission raises higher demands for the quality of services at scenic spots, forcing the industry to enhance its refined and specialized operational levels.

It is worth mentioning that this weekend will welcome “International Women’s Day,” and places like Huangshan in Anhui, Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan, and Pingshan Forest Park in Nanjing are offering limited-time free admission policies aimed at female tourists, leading to a month-on-month increase of over 1.8 times in search volume for related scenic spots. The “free admission effect” combined with the weekend and the Women’s Day event is expected to lead to a more than 65% increase in the booking popularity of related travel products compared to the previous weekend.

The Tongcheng Research Institute believes that this year, the post-holiday cultural and tourism market presents characteristics of “not dull in the off-season,” mainly driven by three factors: first, many scenic spots have launched free admission discounts, directly stimulating tourists’ willingness to travel; second, local and surrounding tourism has become mainstream, with shorter travel distances but significantly increased travel frequency; third, some office workers and senior citizens are choosing to travel during off-peak times after the holiday, seeking a more cost-effective travel experience. As the weather warms, in the past week, the search volume for keywords such as “flower viewing” and “spring outing” on the Tongcheng travel platform has increased by over 110%, and it is expected that a new round of travel peaks will occur nationwide in late March.

(Edited by: Wen Jing)

Keywords:
Scenic Spots
Travel