According to travel platform Fliggy, bookings for lesser-traveled destinations like Beitun in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Qamdo in Xizang, Golog in Qinghai province, and Nujiang in Yunnan surged by over 100 percent year-on-year.

　　Analysts at the Tongcheng Research Institute credit China's western appeal to upgraded infrastructure and a rich array of natural and cultural experiences, such as mountains, lakes, deserts and grasslands that promise the authenticity that today's travelers crave.

　　This rising preference for “slow travel“ is not just in numbers, but in intention. Many travelers are rejecting fast-paced, checklist-style tourism in favor of meaningful encounters.

　　In Qingchuan county, Sichuan, visitors capture rare and precious encounters with wild takins (Himalayan bovines) through their camera lenses. In Lincang, Yunnan, crowds gather for the Wa ethnic festival, joyfully smearing one another with natural pigments, a gesture of blessings and shared joy.

　　Even historic sites are reimagining the way they engage tourists. At the ancient Guanque Tower in Shanxi province, tourists can interact with costumed actors who reenact Tang Dynasty (618-907) scenes, turning classical poetry into an immersive performance. In Wuhu, Anhui province, a 106-year-old customs house has been digitally revamped with AR exhibitions.

　　For others, immersion takes to the skies. He Jixu, a tourist from Sichuan, took his first helicopter ride in Sanya, Hainan province. “Seeing the ocean from above was surreal, like the world expanded,“ he says.

　　Wang Xiaoling from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region pushed her limits even further by trying skydiving. “The second I jumped, fear turned into awe,“ she recalls. “It wasn't just fun; it changed how I see risks and myself.“