'Small and Beautiful' Cultural Tourism Formats Heat Up and Rural Pilots Advance

On November 12, 2026, China Tourism News reported that, driven by both consumption change and supply transformation, 'small and beautiful' cultural tourism formats continue to heat up and may become an important force in promoting the high-quality development of the cultural tourism industry. A survey by the China Scenic Area Association based on 116 typical innovation cases nationwide shows that 70.9% of high-quality scenes have an area within 500 square meters, and 54.3% of projects have investment of less than 1 million yuan, yet they achieve a median return on investment of 60% and an average secondary consumption rate of 41%. The report also said that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism guided 113 counties in carrying out pilot projects for cultural industries empowering rural revitalization, enriching rural cultural tourism formats such as homestays, farming study tours, self-driving camping, and folk experience. At present, this report is the latest development of the event, and no subsequent reports have emerged with figures or statements that contradict it.