The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has officially inaugurated the 2026 National Summer Cultural and Tourism Consumption Season, with a main event held in Qinghai. This initiative aims to coordinate special activities and public benefit measures across the country during the summer period, enhancing the quality of seasonal cultural and tourism products and services to better meet the travel and consumption needs of residents and tourists.
The summer consumption season will run from early July through the end of August. The Ministry, in collaboration with relevant departments, enterprises, and platforms, is rolling out a range of preferential measures covering sightseeing, escaping the heat, transportation, and event spectating.
During the main event, several key announcements were made. The Civil Aviation Administration of China unveiled measures to facilitate summer air travel and cultural tourism. The China Meteorological Administration released a summer heat-escape map and a stargazing guide. China UnionPay introduced payment discounts including instant reductions on scenic spot tickets and hotel/voucher consumption coupons. Alipay launched a "Million Subsidies" special campaign, distributing exclusive cultural and tourism discount coupon packages to tourists. Damai Entertainment offered discounted sessions for movies and stage plays. Didi Chuxing rolled out activities like the "Summer Self-Driving Season" and station bus services, along with spend-and-save promotions. Meituan introduced summer specials covering hotel accommodations, transportation, attractions, and vacation packages.
Throughout the season, regions across the country will focus on popular demand areas such as summer cooling, coastal resorts, nighttime economy, cruises and yachting, family entertainment, study tours, intangible cultural heritage and cuisine, and museum visits. They plan to increase the supply of high-quality cultural and tourism products, host over 30,000 consumption-related events, and distribute more than 4.5 billion yuan in consumption vouchers and other subsidies. This effort is designed to help residents and tourists enjoy their summer holidays and travel experiences.
In a related development, during the main event, the General Administration of Sport of China and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism jointly released the "Travel with Events" 2026 Summer National Youth Events Directory. This directory, covering 20 popular youth activities including athletics, triathlon, swimming, basketball, soccer, and table tennis across multiple provinces and cities, aims to promote the integrated development of sports with culture and tourism, enriching the summer lives of young people.