The integration of low-altitude aviation with cultural tourism is rapidly progressing from conceptual testing to large-scale implementation. Since 2026, a series of supportive policies have been introduced, ranging from national-level strategic planning to local government initiatives, all aimed at fostering the development of low-altitude tourism. Driven by both policy incentives and market demand, "low-altitude + tourism" is becoming a key engine for regions to explore new consumption avenues and stimulate local economic vitality.

On July 7th, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released the "15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Strong Tourism Nation," which proposes enhancing the development of recreational and amusement equipment, cruise ships, yachts, low-altitude tourism equipment, immersive experience devices, and safety inspection platforms. It supports qualified scenic areas, under the premise of ensuring safety, in carrying out low-altitude tourism activities.

Concurrently, regions such as Hainan, Yunnan, Sichuan-Chongqing, and Guangdong are leveraging their unique resources to develop new business models including low-altitude sightseeing, aviation education, and cross-border low-altitude tourism. Some local governments have issued special consumption vouchers worth tens of millions to lower the barrier to public participation, continuously stimulating the consumption potential of low-altinity cultural tourism.

Policy Support Intensifies

The 2026 Government Work Report highlighted the cultivation and expansion of emerging and future industries. It called for the implementation of industrial innovation projects, encouraging central and state-owned enterprises to lead in opening application scenarios and building emerging pillar industries such as integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, and the low-altitude economy. This marks the third consecutive year, following 2024 and 2025, that the low-altitude economy has been included in the Government Work Report, with its designation evolving from a "new growth engine" and "emerging industry" to an "emerging pillar industry."

Guided by this national strategy, many regions have swiftly introduced supporting policies for low-altitude tourism, aiming to seize opportunities in this vast "blue sky" market. Based on their resource endowments and consumer demand, these areas are developing distinctive models for "low-altitude + tourism."

The Hainan Provincial Government's "15th Five-Year Plan for the Hainan International Tourism Consumption Center," released on July 1st, proposes promoting the integrated development of low-altitude tourism. It aims to improve the layout of low-altitude tourism projects, support cities and counties along the island's tourism highway in opening low-altitude sightseeing routes using helicopters and eVTOLs, deploy takeoff and landing facilities in key areas like tourist attractions and highway service stations, and expand new formats such as low-altitude sightseeing, drone VR aerial photography, skydiving, and flight experiences. It also emphasizes deepening domestic and international cooperation, promoting the interconnection of low-altitude tourism routes, and aligning on service standards, safety regulations, and qualification recognition.

Yunnan Province's "Implementation Plan for Orderly Expanding Low-Altitude Economic Application Scenarios," released on June 11th, proposes creating new "Aerial Tour of Yunnan" experiences. It aims to establish a "Fly Over Yunnan" low-altitude tourism golden route, utilizing mature aircraft to open regular sightseeing routes and create themed aerial corridors circling Meili Snow Mountain, overlooking the Three Parallel Rivers, traversing Jingmai Mountain, and "cloud-viewing" the Hani Rice Terraces. It also seeks to innovate a "low-altitude+" tourism product matrix, enriching integrated experiences like mushroom foraging, tea tasting, photography, and ancient village exploration, and increasing the penetration of activities like plateau hot air ballooning, paragliding, skydiving, and powered paratrikes.

In terms of cross-provincial coordination, the Sichuan-Chongqing region has achieved a breakthrough. Information published on the Chongqing Municipal Government website shows that on December 19, 2025, the first cross-provincial low-altitude cultural tourism route in the region successfully completed its inaugural flight. A helicopter took off from the Anyue Grottoes Digital Exhibition Center and arrived at the Dazu Rock Carvings scenic area in about 15 minutes, saving nearly an hour compared to ground transportation, highlighting its efficiency in connecting key attractions. During the event, the civil-military integration offices of Sichuan and Chongqing jointly signed the "Sichuan-Chongqing Region Cross-Provincial Low-Altitude Flight Coordination Management Mechanism (Trial)," focusing on institutional innovation around "unified approval, coordinated management, gridded airspace, and standardized services" to provide a mechanism for ensuring the safe, efficient, and convenient operation of cross-provincial low-altitude flights.

An industry expert noted that the sustained national and local focus on "low-altitude + tourism" is based on dual considerations of industrial upgrading and cultivating new economic growth. It represents a strategic layout for China to tap into emerging consumption potential and build new industrial growth points. However, he cautioned that the domestic "low-altitude + tourism" industry is still in its early stages, and significant bottlenecks remain in the path to large-scale implementation, with the most critical shortcoming being the incomplete safety assurance system for low-altitude flights.

Consumption Vouchers Drive Market Penetration

Alongside industrial development, various regions are using consumer subsidies to leverage the market and promote low-altitude cultural tourism towards mass consumption. Information released by the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism in late June indicates that the 2026 "Colorful Yunnan Cultural Tourism Consumption Vouchers" were officially launched on June 29th, with a total annual allocation of 70 million yuan. The vouchers focus on three sectors: performing arts, cultural and creative products, and low-altitude cultural tourism products. The special low-altitude tourism vouchers can be used for officially operated projects like low-altitude sightseeing, skydiving, and flight experiences within tourist attractions and visitor hubs, with denominations offering discounts of 25 yuan for spending over 150 yuan, 50 yuan for over 300 yuan, and 100 yuan for over 600 yuan.

In April this year, Shaoxing City also allocated 3 million yuan in fiscal funds to issue low-altitude consumption vouchers, covering six consumption scenarios: aerial sightseeing, passenger routes, low-altitude sports, drone purchases, license training, and low-altitude educational tourism. At the Third Chongqing Low-Altitude Flight Consumption Week launched on April 30th, the organizers distributed 30 million yuan worth of low-altitude flight consumption vouchers on-site and released the 2026 edition of the low-altitude flight consumption map.

Commenting on the phenomenon of local governments issuing tens of millions in vouchers to subsidize traditionally high-end low-altitude experiences, the expert stated that local governments are proactively using fiscal subsidies to empower new low-altitude tourism formats. The intent is to use immersive and distinctive low-altitude flight experiences as a new tourism selling point to effectively attract visitors, revitalize regional cultural tourism markets, and enhance the quality and scale of the tourism economy. However, he also noted that consumption vouchers alone are unlikely to quickly change the market perception of low-altitude tourism as a high-end, niche activity in the short term.

Safety Remains Paramount

Safety is the lifeline for the sustainable development of the low-altitude cultural tourism industry. As scenic areas across the country accelerate the development of low-altitude tourism projects, balancing rapid industrial growth with the implementation of safety regulations becomes increasingly crucial. On this matter, the expert emphasized that low-altitude passenger flight projects must adhere to the development principle of safety first. Before a comprehensive regional safety assurance system is established and risk prevention and control capabilities are fully met, all regions should prudently advance the implementation and expansion of passenger-carrying low-altitude projects.

The expert proposed three key improvement paths. First, establishing a robust product verification system. Second, unifying industry safety standards to achieve standardized operations. Third, perfecting the assessment mechanism for industry personnel, incorporating safety flight protocols and emergency risk response capabilities into the core evaluation systems for pilots, flight instructors, and operational managers.