The Lantern Festival is full of splendor, the featured annual customs have been staged in turn, the popularity of ice and snow projects has not decreased, and the night tour blocks are brightly lit... In the Yuanxiao (Filled round balls made of glutinous rice-flour for Lantern Festival) Festival just passed, the cultural and tourism markets around the country have ushered in a new wave of consumption peak. From urban commercial districts to county-level towns, from traditional sightseeing to immersive experiences, cultural and tourism consumption has integrated into people's lives in more diverse forms, becoming an important force in unleashing the potential of domestic demand. The data demonstrates the vitality and momentum of this year's Spring Festival cultural tourism. During the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, 596 million people traveled domestically, with a total expenditure of 803.483 billion yuan, both reaching a historical high. The cultural and tourism market presents the characteristics of high popularity, vitality, and excellent structure. Cultural and tourism consumption is the core lever for expanding domestic demand and promoting consumption upgrading at present. ”Associate Professor Liu Chunsheng from Central University of Finance and Economics stated in an interview with reporters that the concentrated release of cultural and tourism demand during holidays has formed a significant consumption multiplier effect through the linkage of multiple industries, which helps to consolidate the positive trend of economic recovery and achieve a "good start". Experts say that from a longer-term perspective, the new characteristics presented by the cultural and tourism market this year are reshaping the operational logic of holiday consumption: quality experience is gradually becoming mainstream, cross-border tourism is heating up in both directions, staggered travel during festivals is more obvious, the north-south cultural and tourism markets are synchronously heating up, and the vitality and structural optimization trend of cultural and tourism consumption are further emerging. Around cultural and tourism consumption, various regions are no longer satisfied with "attracting people", but focus on content supply and experience depth. In Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province, relying on forests and ice and snow resources, the local area continues to enrich the supply of ice and snow tourism products, creating diverse consumption scenarios such as nighttime ice and snow tours, lighting snow scenes, and immersive performances, and promoting the continuous renewal of the "Ice and Snow Forest · Fairy Tale Yichun" brand. During the Yuanxiao (Filled round balls made of glutinous rice-flour for Lantern Festival), the forest cabin lights up, interactive performances create a fairy tale atmosphere, and tourists immerse themselves in the light show and bonfire scene. In the "Deer Wild Fairy" project in Tieli City, a light show that combines 3D projection and performance attracts tourists to stop and take a look; Jiayin County Ice and Snow Park enriches the parent-child consumption scene with the interactive project of "dinosaur+ice and snow". The popularity of nighttime ice and snow projects has risen, driving the synchronous growth of surrounding dining, accommodation and other supporting consumption. The relevant person in charge stated that the integration of night tours and immersive experiences has effectively extended tourists' stay time and improved the comprehensive consumption level of ice and snow tourism. Shanxi Jinzhong continues to expand the popularity of cultural and tourism consumption through the "Joyful New Year Celebration in Jinzhong" series of activities. Local linkage with scenic areas such as Pingyao Ancient City, Qiao Family Courtyard, and Yuci Old City will organically combine strolling through ancient buildings, admiring flower lanterns, watching social fires, and nighttime experiences, creating a festive cultural and tourism scene covering the whole city. In Pingyao Ancient City, the "Robot Carnival" and digital light and shadow show integrate technological elements into traditional Chinese New Year customs, attracting many tourists to stop and participate. With the continuous development of lantern festivals, community fires and other activities, the catering, accommodation and cultural and creative consumption in the ancient city and surrounding areas remain active. Ms. Zhao, a tourist from Luoyang, Henan, said, "You can not only watch lantern festivals and explore ancient cities, but also participate in interactive experiences, with a sense of Chinese New Year and technology. The continuous popularity of new cultural and tourism supplies such as ice and snow, night tours, and county-level tourism is not simply a 'festival effect'. ”Liu Chunsheng believes that this is partly due to policy guidance and the continuous increase in local supply innovation efforts, and partly due to the upgrading of cultural and tourism products in terms of business integration, scene creation, and infrastructure improvement, which are closely aligned with consumer demand. Experts say that the current residents' cultural and tourism consumption is undergoing profound changes: shifting from sightseeing based consumption mainly focused on taking photos and clocking in, to experiential consumption that places more emphasis on participation and immersion; From a single travel demand to a composite demand that combines quality, personalization, and family, consumers are more willing to pay for cultural connotations and high-quality services. How to transform the concentrated release of cultural and tourism heat during festivals into sustainable consumption power has become a key issue in the current development of cultural and tourism. Liu Chunsheng believes that transforming holiday tourism demand into normalized growth requires sustained efforts in multiple dimensions. On the supply side, we should further deepen the integration of culture and tourism, create distinctive cultural and tourism IPs with recognition, empower cultural and tourism products with digital technology, improve experience quality, and promote the quality and expansion of county-level cultural and tourism; In terms of service guarantee, it is necessary to strengthen intelligent management and standardized services, cultivate specialized cultural and tourism talents, and continuously optimize the consumer experience; At the policy level, demand can be activated through precise subsidies, consumption vouchers, and other means, while optimizing the facilitation policy for inbound tourism, gradually establishing a long-term mechanism for cultural and tourism consumption, promoting the deep integration of cultural and tourism with multiple formats, and unleashing the potential for sustainable consumption. (New Society)