China's large-scale tourism performances grossed 17.44 billion yuan in 2025, up 6.43%

Shanghai, September 21 — At the 2026 Culture and Tourism Integration · Tourism Performing Arts Quality Development Conference, the China Association of Performing Arts released the 2025 Annual Report on China's Tourism Performing Arts Market (hereinafter referred to as the "Report").

Scope and Definition

According to the Report, tourism performing arts refer to commercial performances targeting tourists as the core audience, featuring relatively fixed performers, performance venues, and showtimes. This category includes:

• Live outdoor performances
• Theater performances
• Theme park performances
• Branded performance events and new performance formats that attract tourist participation

Key Market Data for 2025

| Metric | Value | Year-on-Year Growth | |--------|-------|---------------------| | Number of large and medium-scale tourism performance shows | 198,700 | +4.95% | | Box office revenue | 17.442 billion yuan | +6.43% | | Audience attendance | 87.9897 million人次 | +3.01% |

Industry Trends

Driven by tourism consumption, rising aesthetic appreciation, demand for emotional value, and enhanced immersive experiences on the supply side, tourism performing arts projects have been continuously optimized and upgraded. The industry is shifting from a focus on "volume" to "quality and efficiency."

In 2025, the experience economy further solidified its role as a core growth engine for tourism. Immersive experiences have evolved from an optional industry format into a core competitive advantage for tourism performing arts projects. Meanwhile, the integration of digital technology with the tourism performing arts sector has deepened significantly, with widespread application of XR, light projection, and holographic projection technologies. These innovations effectively break down spatial and temporal limitations and enrich the presentation of cultural content.

Audience Profile and Consumption Characteristics

The 2025 tourism performing arts market exhibited the following audience composition and consumption patterns:

Audience Profile:

• A stable base of core visitors
• A rising segment of senior citizens
• Younger demographics concentrated in innovative projects

Consumption Characteristics:

• Increasing premium on experiential value
• Growing trend toward independent (non-group) travel
• Expansion of "ticket-based economy" (extended spending linked to ticket purchases)

Gender and Geographic Distribution

The Report shows that female consumers accounted for 53.82% of the tourism performing arts audience, while male consumers made up 46.18%. The slight female majority reflects women's greater activity in cultural tourism experience decision-making. At the same time, the relatively balanced gender ratio indicates that tourism performing arts have achieved broad demographic appeal.

In terms of geographic distribution, core audiences are highly concentrated in economically developed regions and traditional cultural tourism hotspots, displaying a dual characteristic of "economic-driven + cultural tourism clustering."

Average Spending and Value Perception

According to relevant data, the average per-capita spending on tourism performing arts projects in 2025 reached 298.8 yuan. This figure marks a shift in positioning: tourism performing arts are no longer seen as a "free add-on to scenic spots." Tourists are now willing to pay for high-quality cultural experiences, and their consumption decision-making logic has evolved from "Is it worth watching?" to "Is it worth experiencing, sharing, and spending more on?"