Interest in science a boon for tourism, inquisitive minds

Growing trend

In December 2021, the State Council issued the 14th Five-Year Plan for Tourism Development, which proposed strengthening the utilization of science and technology venues and developing science and technology tourism based on related major projects and achievements.

It also encouraged the development of industrial tourism based on industrial production sites and processes, and industrial heritage, and encouraged the construction of a number of national industrial tourism demonstration bases.

The Chinese educational tourism market is showing an upward trend for the period from 2018 to 2026, according to a recent report by market analyst iiMedia Research. The size of this market is expected to reach 242 billion yuan ($34.5 billion) by 2026, the report said.

Development of China's science popularization and educational tourism market has been rapid in recent years and has great potential, according to an article released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in August 2023.

The article, written by experts from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, also pointed out the sector faces challenges such as insufficient product supply, weak market regulation, low standardization, and a lack of industry talent.

Hefei is tackling these issues and is trying multiple measures to remedy the situation, according to the municipal bureau of culture and tourism.

Experts have suggested increasing product supply, enhancing existing science popularization services, strengthening market regulation and standardization, and improving talent training to promote the development of science popularization and educational tourism.