Tourism boost

Additionally, these cheap flights are also luring foreign tourists.

From January to August this year, Chinese immigration authorities processed a total of 460 million border crossings — marking a 14.9 percent surge year on year. Notably, arrivals by foreigners surged 27.8 percent (over 50 million) during this period. Within this group, 240-hour visa-free entry approvals reached nearly 16 million travelers.

On the evening of Aug 25, a Malaysian tourist surnamed Yang flew from Kuala Lumpur to Jiangxi. He said it's much more convenient for foreigners wanting to visit Jiangxi this way. Earlier, they had to first fly to Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou and then to a tier-II or tier-III city. "Traveling to Jiangxi used to be quite cumbersome when there were no direct flights. This province has many beautiful cities, like Shangrao and Jingdezhen. The pictures we saw online is truly stunning, and we're excited to explore," Yang said.

This aligns with the observations of Li Gaochao, assistant general manager of Shanxi Baohua travel agency: "The significance of opening international routes in Datong is more about 'bringing in'. Through these international flights, we have attracted inbound tourist groups from Mongolia, Thailand, Russia, and other countries."

Datong's implementation of a 240-hour visa-free transit policy last year has further enhanced its appeal, according to Li.

"Allowing foreign tourists to choose Datong as their entry point into Shanxi province and encouraging them to spend more time traveling in Datong has increased inbound tourism in Datong and Shanxi," Li said.

Interestingly, travelers choosing to depart from Datong aren't all young people. Zhang Haifeng, marketing manager at Datong Yungang International Airport, said that the type of travelers varies depending on the destination and season.

"Younger people and students make up a higher proportion of those traveling to South Korea, while there are more older groups traveling to Russia. During peak holiday season, there are more families with children; on weekdays, there are more retirees and older travelers," Zhang said.

This diverse customer structure gives international routes from tier-II and tier-III city airports greater resilience in tourism. Even during the off-peak season, there is a stable customer base to support flight operations.

Last year's hit game Black Myth: Wukong brought a flood of attention to Datong. Several of Datong's attractions, featured as locations in the game, quickly became popular spots for social media check-ins. Datong has also become one of the must-visit "hidden gem" cities.

Local residents have noticeably felt the change. To make parking easier for self-driving tourists, lawns inside Datong city have transformed into parking lots; many new hotels have sprung up, and the frequency of locals dining at restaurants inside the city's walls during holidays has reduced.

A local netizen explained it thus on social media platform Xiaohongshu (RedNote): "First, we want to make room for visitors, and second, because the restaurants are, anyway, too crowded."

Introducing cost-effective international direct flights is also an attempt to improve Datong's economy. The idea is to lure tourists by offering cheap tickets and give a boost to the local hotel and dining sector, as also other forms of consumption.

Zhang Xiaojing, a tour guide from Shanxi with 20 years of experience in travel agencies, has witnessed the positive changes brought about by the opening of these international routes. "For us, the increase in outbound tours provides us more job opportunities. I'm proud to offer services and assistance to travelers going abroad," Zhang said.

She believes these international routes will attract more foreign tourists to Datong and Shanxi, "which will certainly promote the development of local tourism and other industries, increase employment opportunities, and make Datong and Shanxi internationally renowned cultural and tourist destinations sooner rather than later".

Booming outbound tourism

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's statistical survey report for the third quarter of 2024, the outbound tourism market is steadily recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the third quarter of 2024, outbound tourism accounted for about 9 percent of the total tourism market, up from 5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Although it has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels — in the fourth quarter of 2019, outbound tourism accounted for 22 percent of the total tourism market — the recovery momentum is clear.

The emergence of low-cost international tickets is giving a strong boost to the recovery of the outbound tourism market. According to ticketing platform data, the recent increase in bookings for international flights marked "departing before National Day" is evident, with inquiries and bookings for popular destinations like Bangkok and Seoul particularly prominent. Low-cost tickets are becoming a key factor in attracting travelers to plan their trips in advance.

However, whether this low-cost model is sustainable remains a question. Li said: "Discounted tickets are just one way for airlines to lure customers and promote sales, with only a limited number of passengers available for each flight. But adjustments will be made based on actual conditions later."

In this wave of "bargain travel", young people are redefining the value of travel with their actions. For them, travel is no longer a luxury but a smart lifestyle choice.

As Yang indicated, the money they saved allowed them to spend more on food and other experiences in Thailand. She has already planned her next trip: "Datong also has flights to and from Russia. I'm already planning a trip to chase the northern lights in Russia."

Yang also plans to go back to Datong for skiing in winter: "The ski resorts are great, and the food and accommodation offer good value."

Contact the writers at zhaoruinan@chinadaily.com.cn.