The key to fully unlocking the potential of cultural and tourism consumption is to increase the supply of high-quality products and upgrade offerings, supporting both higher-quality and sustained growth in consumption, Hu said.

　　Chinese goods gain ground abroad

　　Apart from domestic consumption, the festival is also becoming an export opportunity.

　　Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, European platform Joybuy showed that the sales of Chinese mooncakes increased more than 16-fold.

　　Meanwhile, Cantonese-style mooncakes are expanding beyond traditional Southeast Asian markets into Australia, New Zealand and Europe. One producer in Zhongshan, South China"s Guangdong Province, shipped more than 600 tons to over 40 countries and regions; products bound for Spain sold out early and a new market opened in Sweden.

　　Another Zhejiang-based brand exported more than 750,000 mooncakes, more than double the previous year, according to media reports.

　　The customer base is changing too. While overseas Chinese still form the core buyers, the number of non-Chinese customers has grown noticeably, many producers said.

　　Besides China, several Asian countries including Vietnam also celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, though with different emphases. In Vietnam, the festival has a strong "Children"s Day" character, and colorful lanterns sell especially well.

　　In Yiwu, East China"s Zhejiang Province - China"s leading wholesale hub for festive goods - Mid-Autumn Festival decorations and lanterns have seen strong export demand this year. Products that blend traditional festival motifs with handicraft techniques have proved popular with both domestic and overseas buyers, the Global Times learned.