Xiamen, Southeast China's Fujian Province, has been steadfastly embracing high-quality development. While promoting the closely integrated development of culture and tourism, it continually optimizes the ecosystem of cultural tourism economy, orchestrating the "Xiamen symphony" of high-quality development of cultural tourism.

 

With its vibrant mix of local flavors, leisurely city walks, trendy entertainment, romantic artistic vibes and diverse international styles, Xiamen's flourishing cultural tourism market reflects a lively atmosphere where locals and visitors share great experiences.

 

Data reveals that in the first three quarters this year, Xiamen experienced a significant increase in tourism numbers, with 91.93 million visitors from home and abroad, representing a year-on-year increase of 15.64%. Total tourist spending in the period shot up to 131.47 billion yuan ($18.5 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 20.79% and reflecting the robust vitality of the city's high-quality development.

 

In recent years, Xiamen has spared no effort in transforming itself into a "cultural hub, artistic city and musical island", hosting a raft of cultural events that highlight cultural charms.

 

As a hub for film and television culture, Xiamen attracts loads of young visitors seeking to immerse themselves in the local cultural scene.

 

Traditional activities featuring regional Minnan culture, or Hokkien culture, are often visible in public spaces, infusing Xiamen with an ever-appealing artistic vibe.

 

Annual brand events, like citizen culture festival, book promotion month and Mid-Autumn tourism carnival, also offer fresh immersive cultural experiences to visitors with innovative services and scenarios.

 

Since the start of this year, Xiamen has hosted 49 concerts and music festivals, drawing over 700,000 fans to the city. Apart from music events, many tourists flock to Xiamen for traditional Minnan opera performances. Innovative plays and exciting performances have become carriers for foreign tourists to experience the culture of southern Fujian and Xiamen.

 

In addition, leveraging its great facilities and environment, Xiamen has also become a hotspot for over 40 high-end sports events and over 200 high-level exhibitions since 2023, setting a new trend in tourism.

 

On the waterfront, surfers and swimmers hit the waves, while tents and tea tables line the beaches along the 50-kilometer-long Huandong Romantic Coast. This place has become a top seaside sports and leisure destination, attracting visitors seeking fun. In fact, seaside leisure has become one of the most popular ways to experience Xiamen. More than 3 million visitors participated in seaside leisure activities last year, marking a 3.5-fold increase year-on-year.

 

This year, Xiamen has made a renewed effort to create a welcoming experience for visitors, including providing free shuttle services for tourists, establishing 34 tourism service stations and introducing convenient amenities such as luggage depositories.

 

"Xiamen is a city that stands up to the scrutiny of tourists," said Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Academy. That sentiment is supported by monitoring data and visitor satisfaction ratings in recent years. For instance, in the 2023 national tourist satisfaction survey, Xiamen ranked among the top three.