Yang Junfeng, Lin Jiakai
In Tuxiang Village, Wolong Town, Xiangcheng District, Xiangyang City, Hubei Province, an abandoned warehouse by the wheat field has been transformed into a café, bringing fire to the local countryside and attracting many tourists. Photo by Yang Dong (People's Pictures)
Lotte plays in the ancient village. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Xiaoyu and her friends play in the forest of Arctic Village. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
In recent years, every holiday, when the holiday picture of "people from the crowd" is swiped, many young people quietly change direction. They put down their strategies, stayed away from the "hot list", and started a "reverse fancy trip" in "unpopular" small towns, rural villages and even city corners.
From "squeezing in the sea of people" to "lying in the mountains and seas", young people are using actions to return the holiday to the essence of relaxation. Behind the "reverse fancy travel" is the new consumption concept of the younger generation of "subtraction in the travel process and 'addition' in comfort experience". Relaxation and comfort are becoming the "new trend" of young people's vacation.
"Lying flat travel" fire "out of the circle"
During this year's Qingming holiday, Ma Yilin, a young woman born after 3 who works in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, chose to go to Fuzhou City, Fujian Province for 0 days. But before departure, she didn't do anything but book flights and hotels. For Ma Yilin, there is only one goal of this trip - to have a good rest. "I'm tired enough from work, I really don't have the strength to go to Internet celebrity attractions, and I'm too lazy to do a strategy." Ma Yilin said.
This is not the first time Ma Yilin has gone to an unfamiliar city to "lie flat". She told me that she likes to travel, but she doesn't have a lot of energy. After many trips, she found the most suitable way for her to travel - going to the hotel for a "micro-vacation". "Choosing a suitable hotel can not only experience different scenery and cuisine without tiring yourself, this is the meaning of vacation."
Nowadays, there are not a few young people like Ma Yilin who choose to "lie flat travel". "Lying flat travel" is a figurative metaphor that means that people travel with a relaxed mentality, go with the flow, and be at peace with what they encounter. If you don't go to the Internet celebrity attractions, no longer queue up to buy Internet celebrity snacks, etc. This kind of tour has no strict restrictions on the route, and there is no tight schedule of time, some are just plain, relaxed and leisurely.
Compared with the traditional "watching people's heads" and "joining in the fun" type of tourism, "lying flat tourism" is more peaceful and rational. No longer pursue "face" but pay more attention to "scholarship", put experience and comfort in the first place, pay more attention to inner needs in the way of travel choice, and no longer deliberately follow the trend and imitate.
Chen Wang, a student at Xiamen University, likes to travel with his classmates on weekends and holidays. Their trips are never planned, they just go. Chen Wang said: "If we feel tired lately, we will discuss finishing our homework in advance and using the weekend time to go out and relax, and we can drive or ride in the car at will." ”
Chen Wang and her friends define this kind of "lying flat travel" as a "life sample": "Just like the sample of cosmetics, such a relaxed trip is the 'sample' of our life." Occasionally deviating from the normal track of life to empty yourself can make life more comfortable. ”
"Subtracting from the trip and not giving it much meaning makes it easier to enjoy the trip itself." Chen Wang believes that "life needs to be relaxed, and how you plan your trip depends on what kind of purpose you want to travel." Our purpose is to relax, so we will sleep until we wake up naturally, make up for all the sleep we don't normally have, and go back to play when we have slept well. Only by enjoying the present moment will you be more motivated and energetic to face the future. ”
The "treasure" town is a different kind of surprise
Excavating the "treasure" town with "few people and beautiful scenery" and reaping a super cost-effective travel experience has made young people happy in recent years.
These small towns are either hidden by precious cultural treasures, or have a thousand-year-old heritage, or have benefited from the wonders of nature. Escape the crowds and maybe you can meet a different kind of surprise somewhere in the small town.
今年2月，中國旅遊研究院(文化和旅遊部數據中心)與馬蜂窩聯合召開了“旅遊目的地發展創新研究合作及成果發佈會”，會上發佈旅遊目的地系列研究成果——《中國魅力小城旅遊研究報告》。中國旅遊研究院專項調研表明，低線城市出遊需求持續釋放，2024年一季度中小城市客群佔旅遊預約總客群的27.7%，較2019年大幅增長。而來自馬蜂窩大數據顯示，2024年站內“小城”、“縣城”等相關內容量較去年同期增長44.8%，區縣旅遊出行人數較去年同期增長76.4%，超500萬用戶在社區里分享、交流了相關旅行經驗。
Chen Gang, CEO of Mafengwo, said that as more treasure towns are discovered, small town tourism is expected to become a new growth point for China's tourism market. Driven by young tourists, small-town tourism has not only become a cost-effective way to travel, but also an important engine for cultural self-confidence and local economic development.
"It's not that popular cities can't afford to go, but small cities are more cost-effective." Zhang Peng, an associate professor at the School of International Business Administration of Shanghai Wai Chinese University, pointed out that in recent years, there has been a trend of upgrading and improving services in county-level cultural and tourism facilities. From the northeast to the southwest, five-star and four-star hotels and high-standard catering have become the norm for county tourism. The improvement of the county's tourism reception capacity has brought about the upgrading of the experience of living and playing, so that tourists are willing to pay for high-quality county tourism.
"Today, consumption tends to be diversified and personalized. With the help of the Internet, big data, mobile communications and artificial intelligence, young people have realized that 'I am the master of my trip' and 'I define my destination'. Driven by tourism communities such as Mafengwo, new lifestyles such as flat tourism, reverse tourism, and sojourn and health care have emerged one after another, making one after another 'cost-effective' niche cities and 'treasure' counties into new tourism spaces. From pleasing others to pleasing oneself, driven by individual needs and rational consumption, the era of small city tourism has arrived. Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said.
《中國魅力小城旅遊研究報告》顯示，當前90后已成為小城旅遊的主力軍，佔比高達48.1%。人少、小眾、高性價比、獨特文化體驗是影響他們小城目的地決策的幾大首要考慮因素。值得關注的是，新一線城市在小城旅遊客源地中表現突出，佔比達36.8%。成都、杭州、重慶、天津、南京、武漢等新一線城市躋身客源地前十。
In addition, according to Mafengwo data, the per capita consumption of less than 3 yuan in small cities in 0 years accounted for more than 0%, of which the per capita consumption of less than 0 yuan accounted for 0.0%. Young tourists are not only looking for affordability, but also pay attention to the unique "label" of the town, such as special food, thousand-year-old buildings, natural scenery, folk festivals, etc., which form the core of their travel experience.
The journey of the soul is a good feeling
From "reverse tourism" to "small town fever" and the rise of county tourism, today's young people are no longer satisfied with visiting popular attractions, but are more inclined to avoid the crowds and look for places that can nourish the soul and provide real life experience, so as to make the holiday a beautiful spiritual journey.
In the early spring of this year, on the top of an unnamed mountain in Xingyi City, Guizhou Province, the morning light is beginning to bloom. Travel blogger Zhen Zhen stood on the edge of the cliff and watched the sea of clouds surging like waves, and the golden sunlight burst out from the clouds, dyeing the entire sky amber. A few travel companions who had just met last night around me held up their mobile phones to take pictures, and the morning glow was still slowly unfolding in the morning breeze...... For Zhen Zhen, such a scene is no longer a simple scenery, but a beautiful experience of life and friendship.
"At that time, we had three cars and 11 people, eating together at the top of the mountain and enjoying the scenery together. Although it was the first time we met, we were familiar with each other like old friends who had known each other for many years. Zhen Zhen said that when the sea of clouds overflowed the top of the mountain in the early morning, everyone quietly quieted down. At the moment of the rising sun, everyone cheers, runs, and takes pictures of the sun on the top of the mountain. At that moment, my heart overflowed with joy - how can life be so beautiful!"
"I think travel is a process of enriching one's own feelings." Zhen Zhen said to the author: "A journey will always come to an end, but those warm moments, those romances shared with new friends, have long been engraved into my life and become the light that illuminates the way forward." The 'Reverse Tour' itinerary taught me that with courage and love, there will always be a new story waiting to be written on the next journey. ”
For Lotte, a creator of cultural and tourism content, travel is about finding natural touches. At the end of 2024, in Jingmai Mountain, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, Lotte, who had originally come to shoot a tea advertisement, stopped when passing by an ancient Brown village. As the sun sets, the sunlight shines on the plantain leaves on both sides of the path, making it look particularly soft. "I saw a grandmother sitting at the entrance of the village with her child in her arms, so I went over to say hello to her." "Grandma said slowly in Mandarin with a local accent, 'I'm from the Brown ethnic group,'" Lotte said. After finishing speaking, he smiled sweetly. I recorded that moment, and it healed me at once. From my grandmother's smile, I could feel a sense of happiness from the bottom of my heart, and this happiness touched me deeply. ”
Lotte said that reverse tourism is never a "reverse flow of people" in the geographical sense: "Travel can be a canopy erected by the river, a touch with the palm of an intangible cultural heritage craftsman, or a moment of emotion brought by the laughter of an old man in a strange village." ”
During this year's Qingming Festival holiday, Xiaoyu, a junior studying in Hubei, started an "unlimited" trip in Heilongjiang Province. When she and her friends took advantage of the holiday to stagger north, they only had two one-way tickets in their bags. "We didn't even book a hotel, we didn't plan a route." Xiaoyu said to the author: "This is an impromptu rush all the way to the north. ”
After arriving in Qiqihar City, Xiaoyu and his companions rented a car and set off with a tacit understanding of "wherever they go". The original plan was to return to Qiqihar from Mohe via Genhe and Hailar, but encountered heavy snow when approaching Mohe. "It was snowing very heavily and there was thin ice on the road, so I was worried about the bad road conditions." Xiaoyu said to the author. But soon, Xiaoyu was attracted by the beautiful scenery in front of her, "The snow on both sides of the road, the snowflakes rushing in front of me, it was a very shocking feeling, and I felt lucky to have encountered such a beautiful scenery." The convoy stopped several times in the snow, and everyone got out of the car and stepped on the snow, allowing the snowflakes to fall on them. Xiaoyu was excited, this was a beautiful scenery that she had never seen since she grew up in the south.
This "unlimited" trip to the Northeast gave Xiaoyu a new understanding of travel. She said that in the past, travel would always default to a "must-complete list", but this "impromptu adventure" in the Northeast allowed her to experience the purity of dialogue with nature in the wind and snow. As the vehicle moves slowly through the snow, she no longer worries about "whether it will arrive on time", but focuses on the sound of the wheels rolling over the snow; After giving up her plan to photograph the starry sky, she took a walk in the city of Mohe and suddenly realized that "the meaning of travel is to please yourself, not to please travel".
"'Reverse travel' is not about deliberately chasing the niche, but following your heart, choosing a way to travel that makes you comfortable, and embracing the unknown with an open attitude." Xiaoyu said: "Some people like to stay in comfortable hotels and enjoy the facilities and services; Some people like to go to popular scenic spots and feel the lively atmosphere; I, on the other hand, love to travel in nature and find tranquility and authenticity. ”