From "investing" in one's own skills training to cross-industry collaborations to "travel to a city for a ticket," and the rise of "in-depth tourism" in counties... Reporters found in visits to Beijing, Hunan, Shandong and other places that this year's summer consumption in many places is advancing simultaneously through cross-industry integration and in-depth cultivation, consumption scenarios are constantly being renewed, and consumers' sense of gain and participation have been significantly improved.

Investing in yourself: Skills training becomes a new necessity

"Investing in oneself" is becoming a new label for summer consumption. Experiential consumption such as skills training and hobby courses is experiencing a surge in demand.

Inside the Heshi Children's Fitness Center in Chaoyang District, Beijing, children practice basic parkour moves such as running starts, jumping, and obstacle courses on soft mats. Mr. Li, the course director, said that inquiries and enrollments for children's parkour have increased significantly during the summer vacation. "Children's parkour breaks down street parkour into safe and controllable training skills, and many children even travel all over the country to compete."

"Recharging and recharging" for growth has become a new trend in summer consumption among contemporary youth.

At the Shandong Guangyu Technology UAV Training Base, the summer training classes were packed. Wang Bingbing, the person in charge of enrollment at the base, said that the number of students enrolled in the summer UAV training program has increased by 172% year-on-year, with college students and recent high school graduates accounting for more than 70% of the enrollments. The cost per session ranges from 6,000 to 11,000 yuan.

Wang Ziming, a sophomore majoring in drone application technology, has participated in more than 20 days of intensive training. "Positions such as power, pipeline inspection, and new energy operation and maintenance give priority to certified drone pilots. I'm taking advantage of the holiday to train intensively and get certified, so I can use it when I'm looking for a job," he told reporters.

Many regions are targeting the summer vacation window and actively developing skills training programs. The Jilin Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security issued a notice on carrying out special summer skills training for college graduates in 2026, offering specialized courses in industries such as new energy vehicles and live-streaming e-commerce, with subsidies provided based on attendance. Yulin, Guangxi, is offering free summer skills training for college graduates, with tuition waived and flexible class schedules for emerging technologies and public service jobs. Shunde District in Foshan, Guangdong, is offering free AI skills training for newly employed groups, with government subsidies available for certification…

"Ticket Stub" Economy: Cross-Sector Collaboration Unleashes New Potential

What can you do with a ticket stub?

This summer, Zhuzhou, Hunan launched the "Xiangchao Zhuzhou·Five Super Value" sports event consumption brand, creating 50 secondary viewing venues in key locations throughout the city, and offering free or exclusive discounts to fans at 42 A-level tourist attractions, 35 hotels, 51 cultural and entertainment venues, and 35 restaurants.

Mr. Shu, a fan from Huaihua, made a special trip to Zhuzhou Sports Center to cheer on his hometown team. "I originally planned to return home that day, but seeing the ticket stub bonus, I decided to stay an extra day to experience more of the food and culture!" he said.

According to preliminary estimates by the Zhuzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the competition is expected to generate approximately 150 million yuan in tourism-related consumption in the city, including transportation, accommodation, catering, entertainment, and scenic spots.

A single ticket stub connects movie scenes with shopping district consumption.

This summer, the Hundred Flowers Awards for Popular Films were held in Beijing, and merchants in Chaoyang District launched a special discount for ticket stubs. Audiences could enjoy discounts such as ticket reductions and spending thresholds by presenting relevant credentials for this year's Hundred Flowers Awards, as well as movie tickets from any cinema nationwide between August 1st and 10th.

"By leveraging the popularity of the Hundred Flowers Awards, we will guide moviegoers into diverse consumption scenarios, using ticket stubs as a link to connect cultural, commercial, and tourism industries, opening up a brand-new consumption path for moviegoers, from watching movies to exploring the city," said Liu Jianghong, Vice Dean of the School of Cultural Industry Management at the Communication University of China.

Wang Degang, Vice President of the China Tourism Association and Dean of the Tourism Industry Research Institute of Shandong University, stated that the essence of the "ticket stub" economy is a resource integration method, which can be promoted as a long-term cultural and tourism promotion measure and become a continuous driving force for the high-quality development of cultural and tourism consumption. Cities should focus on optimizing the quantity and quality of linked resources, transforming consumer "traffic" into "retention," and driving the continuous rise of the city's cultural and tourism reputation.

"Journey to the County" Experience: In-depth Tourism Reshapes the New Landscape

In Chenzhou, Hunan, Guidong County, with an average altitude of 900 meters and an average summer temperature of only 23°C, has become a popular destination for in-depth summer travel. "Going to the fields to catch fish, plant rice seedlings, and make cups out of mud... the children get to experience the real countryside and feel like they've 'traveled thousands of miles'," said Ms. Huang, a tourist from Changsha.

From "check-in style" trips in cities to "immersive living" in counties, more and more consumers are actively "heading to counties" this summer, making it one of the hottest consumption phenomena during the summer.

Data from Qunar.com shows that during this summer vacation, hotel bookings in some county-level destinations increased by over 500% year-on-year, and searches for experiential travel increased by 130% year-on-year. Data from Ctrip.com shows that the proportion of trips lasting four days or more nationwide rose from 28.4% to 47.1%, indicating that consumers are no longer satisfied with simply "checking off the list" but are more willing to slow down and pursue in-depth experiences. This shift in tourist spending preferences is reshaping the supply and demand pattern of county-level economies.

The "15th Five-Year Plan for Expanding Consumption" proposed to strengthen the county-level consumer market and made institutional arrangements for cultivating experiential consumption. This summer, the supply side in counties accelerated its response.

He Shuixiong, from Shaoguan, Guangdong, often visits Guidong to escape the summer heat. This year, he booked a guesthouse courtyard early and invited his friends to stay for two months.

Since the start of the summer vacation, the three core homestay villages of Qingzhu, Jindong, and Qiuli in Guidong County have received more than 13,000 tourists, with long-term rentals of 15 days or more accounting for over 40%. Compared with previous years, the average length of stay for tourists has increased from 2 to 3 days to 5 to 7 days.

The resurgence of tourism in county-level areas is a vivid illustration of the shift of consumption to lower-tier cities and the coordinated development of urban and rural areas.

Reporters found that the influx of long-stay tourists has spurred diversified consumption, including rural markets and the purchase of local agricultural products, continuously expanding the boundaries of consumption within the county. In Qingzhu Village, nearby merchants have set up stalls, with some stall owners earning up to 4,000 yuan in a single day.

"Every time I come, I fill my trunk to the brim before I leave." Ms. Wang, a tourist from Hengyang, Hunan, packed two full suitcases of local specialties before leaving. "I stayed for half a month and ate the rice and vegetables here every day. The taste is just different. I'll bring some back for my relatives and friends." (Source: Xinhua News Agency)