The Mid-Autumn Festival Gala held in Zhangzhou, Fujian, draw large crowds of visitors. CHINA DAILY

Fujian province witnessed a surge in tourism and cultural activities during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, with both visitor numbers and tourism revenue hitting record levels. According to third-party estimates, Fujian received over 46 million tourists and generated more than 38.8 billion yuan in tourism revenue.

Jet skis carrying the national flag race across the sea in Yongding district, Longyan city. CHINA DAILY

More than 1,800 events and 300 public-benefit initiatives were launched across the province, offering a rich Min-style experience.

Carefully curated holiday routes included concerts, performances, and cultural showcases such as Fujian National Orchestra's National Day Concert and "I Love You China – 2025 Xiamen National Day Carnival". Attractions at the 4A level and above welcomed 10.32 million visitors, with ticket revenues reaching 231.71 million yuan ($32.51 million), year-on-year increases of 21.3% and 17.7% respectively.

Visitors pause to take photos inside the Fuzhou Chocolate Museum. [Photo/Fuzhou Daily]

The integration of culture and tourism has become a major draw for visitors. Innovative performances, museum exhibitions, traditional cultural experiences, and reading promotions attracted both local and non-local audiences. Highlights included the drama battle activities at Fujian Museum, cultural tourism talk shows, a solo concert by world-renowned pianist Marc-André Hamelin and concerts by popular singers including Rene Liu and Wang Yuan.

Fujian's vibrant night tours featured immersive events such as Longyan's intangible cultural heritage night and Ningde's "Zhouning Moonlight Carnival". Fuzhou Min River night cruises hosted over 20,000 visitors in the first seven days, a 494% increase compared with the same period last year. Fifteen national nighttime cultural and tourism clusters collectively received more than 15 million visitors.

Inbound tourism also remained strong. Xiamen ranked among the top ten inbound destinations on travel platforms Ctrip and Qunar, while Quanzhou ranked second in foreign flight bookings.

Russia's pilot visa-free policy boosted Russian visitor bookings by 75% year-on-year, underscoring Fujian's role as an important window for international visitors looking to experience Chinese culture.