Due to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions since last December, China has seen a rebound in tourism, expecting an 80% increase in domestic trips this year compared to last year. Amid this speedy tourism recovery, there has been a rising travel trend called “special forces tourism (特种兵式旅游)”, which refers to ticking off as many tourist spots, using as little time and money, as possible. This kind of travel style is particularly popular among young people in China, especially college students who are usually on a tight budget but are willing to take intensive trips.
How Chinese netizens view “special forces tourism”: insights from Weibo
On Chinese social media Weibo, many netizens have joined the conversation in terms of #What do you think of special forces tourism (你如何看待特种兵式旅游)#, viewed 3.75 million times within two days in the last week of April. “(You get to) broaden the horizon and learn the importance of having money so you can enjoy life more after graduation.” One netizen said. Another netizen stressed China’s highly developed transportation’s critical role in this trend: “This would be impossible to achieve if not for the convenience of transportation.”
In fact, “special forces tourism” has become so viral that new business opportunities have emerged from it. Some young people, usually from popular tourist cities, have become “local travel partners (当地陪玩)”, charging around 150 to 300 RMB per day or 15 to 25 RMB per hour on Goofish (闲鱼), China’s largest second-hand e-commerce platform. Although this kind of deal is currently mainly trust-based, as regulations on the industry are still unclear, some netizens are quite supportive of this new occupation. “This kind of job is nice. You get to make money and have fun too.” A netizen from Liaoning commented.
Key takeaways:
- China has seen a rebound in tourism due to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
- There has been a rising travel trend called “special forces tourism” which refers to visiting as many tourist spots as possible using as little time and money.
- This trend is particularly popular among young people in China and has even created new business opportunities such as “local travel partners” who charge for their services on Goofish, China’s largest second-hand e-commerce platform.
