Cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area staged vibrant tourism activities during the 2026 National Day holiday, from Oct 1 to 7, with travelers showing growing interest in immersive experiences combining culture, leisure and technology.

According to the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Guangdong province received 62.79 million tourist arrivals during the holiday period, generating 58.44 billion yuan ($8.73 billion) in revenue.

Visitor arrivals from outside the province reached 9.95 million, up 21.6 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, daily inbound tourist arrivals grew 17.3 percent year-on-year.

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Guangzhou, one of the major cities in the Greater Bay Area, attracted visitors through a combination of urban culture, night tourism and innovative cultural experiences.

During the holiday, Guangzhou received 16.05 million tourist arrivals who spent 14.5 billion yuan in cultural and tourism consumption. The city launched more than 2,000 cultural and tourism activities, with tourist numbers and tourism consumption increasing 5.5 percent and 5.9 percent respectively year-on-year.

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Night tourism became one of Guangzhou’s highlights. The “A River of Pearls, A Guangzhou Painting Scroll”-themed light show transformed the Pearl River waterfront into a cultural display combining urban landscapes and artistic presentation.

Other activities, including Guangzhou Tower’s themed light show, family programs and traditional cultural performances, further enriched visitors’ holiday experiences.

Cultural venues also attracted increasing attention. Four Guangdong art institutions, including Guangdong Museum of Art and Guangzhou Museum of Art, were listed among the country’s top 10 most popular art museums during the National Day holiday.

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Digital technology further expanded cultural tourism experiences. Artificial intelligence-generated artistic creations, digital exhibitions and intelligent services provided visitors with new ways to engage with traditional culture.

Zhuhai integrated coastal tourism with local cultural heritage. During the holiday, the city incorporated intangible cultural heritage performances, including the Sanzao Crane Dance, the Qianshan Fengji Dance and Shatian folk songs, into island tourism routes.

The city saw 3.1 million tourist arrivals during the holiday, with average daily visitor numbers rising 18.1 percent year-on-year.

In Huizhou, the Nankun Mountain-Luofu Mountain tourism pilot zone combined natural landscapes with cultural experiences. Activities featuring intangible cultural heritage were introduced along the 218-kilometer tourism route.

The counties and districts covered by the Nankun Mountain-Luofu Mountain tourism pilot zone recorded 2.62 million visitor arrivals, with average daily visitor numbers increasing 8.3 percent year-on-year.

Yao Xi contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com