At the open group activity of the Guangdong delegation to the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress, Zeng Fengbao, a deputy to the National People's Congress and secretary of the Jieyang Municipal Party Committee, held up these two small items and revealed a corner of the real scene of Jieyang Ancient City to the reporters present, which also ignited people's yearning for the Chaoshan region.

Beyond the promotion of Jieyang, the cuisine of the Chaoshan region was also praised as "the best in Guangdong" at the open day. Throughout the event and in the media service kits , Guangdong products were ubiquitous, extending an invitation to the public to visit Guangdong.

The 2026 Government Work Report emphasizes that unleashing the consumption potential of cultural tourism, sports events, and health and wellness sectors will be a priority, while also proposing to actively develop the sports event economy, the ice and snow economy, and outdoor sports.

Guangdong, the province with the largest economy in China, holds a leading position in consumption-related sectors such as commerce, logistics, and cultural tourism, making it a key force in stabilizing the national consumption base. In 2025, Guangdong's GDP grew by 3.9%, ranking first in the country for 37 consecutive years; with a resident population of over 129 million, its massive population flow provides fertile ground for the consumer market.

The government work report also proposed supporting the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into a world-class city cluster. This is undoubtedly a strong boost to the integrated development of the Greater Bay Area.

Currently, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is forming a concentric circle consumption pattern based on the "one-hour living circle," and "circle-based consumption" is becoming an important engine for promoting regional integration and boosting consumption.

"Guangdong's cultural and tourism industry is upgrading from a single consumption scenario to a diversified consumption carrier, becoming a new engine for boosting domestic demand and promoting the upgrading and expansion of consumption," Peng Peng, executive chairman of the Guangdong Provincial System Reform Research Association and president of the Guangzhou Doctoral Science and Technology Innovation Research Association, told Southern Finance. He added that Guangdong is one of the most important tourist destinations and departure points in China, and its cultural and tourism performance during the 2026 Spring Festival holiday once again led the country. Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Guangdong's cultural and tourism industry should further enhance its development in areas such as the integration of tourism and tourism, tapping into the potential of Lingnan culture, creating Guangdong cultural and tourism IPs, and increasing the added value of the tourism industry, thus forging a distinctive development path.

Guangdong's "hidden gems" continue to gain popularity.

During the recent Spring Festival holiday, Guangdong's cultural and tourism consumption got off to a flying start. With its unique integration of culture and tourism and efficient inbound services, Guangdong has become an important window for tourists from home and abroad to experience Chinese culture.

Data released by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism shows that during the nine-day Spring Festival holiday in 2026, Guangdong Province received 86.589 million tourists, an increase of 8.1% compared to the eight-day Spring Festival holiday in 2025. Tourism revenue reached 84.89 billion yuan, an increase of 13.9%, both record highs, ranking first in the country. Meanwhile, average tourist spending steadily increased. Sample survey data shows that during the Spring Festival, the average tourist spending was 980.4 yuan, an increase of 5.4%.

Platform data also confirms the popularity: during the 2026 Spring Festival, inbound tourism orders in Guangdong Province increased by 40% year-on-year. Many foreign tourists strolled through shopping districts, attractions, streets and alleys in various parts of Guangdong, visiting temple fairs, buying local products, and enjoying local delicacies, immersing themselves in the Chinese New Year experience.

This year's government work report proposed to develop the cultural tourism industry with high quality and enrich the integrated business formats of culture, tourism, sports and commerce.

Since the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan, a number of previously little-known cultural and tourism "hidden gems" in Guangdong have gained popularity and are favored by tourists from home and abroad, with the Chaoshan region being a typical example.

Besides the nationally renowned Chaoshan cuisine, Chaoshan traditional culture has been preserved in a complete and living form to this day. The explosive spread of phenomenal cultural symbols such as Yingge dance, coupled with the increasingly improved high-speed rail network, the folk rituals activated by short videos, and the younger generation's emphasis on traditional culture, have jointly contributed to the Chaoshan cultural tourism boom.

While tourism is booming, development challenges are also emerging. Xie Baojian, professor at the School of Economics of Jinan University and deputy director of the Institute of Hong Kong and Macao Economic Studies, said that the current focus of Chaoshan cultural tourism is on Yingge dance, but this folk custom has a strong festival-time effect and is difficult to support regular tourism supply. It is necessary to systematically explore and promote the rich and diverse intangible cultural heritage resources.

He further pointed out that Guangdong's cultural tourism has transformed from resource-driven and market-driven development to integration and innovation-driven transformation, moving towards a high-quality development stage characterized by the full integration of culture, tourism, sports and commerce, high-quality supply, Greater Bay Area integration and digital empowerment. However, it also faces challenges such as uneven regional distribution, homogeneous products, insufficient depth, and weak high-end supply.

During this year's Spring Festival, Shantou faced a major test in terms of tourism. Southern Finance previously reported that although the issue of rising hotel prices in Shantou sparked discussion before the holiday, timely corrective measures by the authorities did not dampen tourists' enthusiasm for experiencing the festive atmosphere. As of February 16th (Lunar New Year's Eve), 1.1507 million tourists had already flocked to Shantou. According to big data calculations, Shantou received approximately 7.1555 million tourists during the Spring Festival holiday, generating tourism revenue of approximately 7.156 billion yuan.

How to attract and convert tourist traffic is not only a challenge for Shantou, but also a crucial issue for the long-term development of cultural tourism in emerging small cities. Xie Baojian analyzed that some emerging tourist cities lack sufficient infrastructure to support their tourism popularity, and their reception capacity, hardware shortcomings, and urban management problems are quite prominent.

Xie Baojian stated that Guangdong's cultural and tourism integration has entered a fast track of high-quality development, exhibiting a pattern of leading scale, active integration, Greater Bay Area leadership, and accelerated innovation. Guangdong should, while accelerating efforts to address the infrastructure shortcomings of these popular cities, vigorously explore their cultural connotations, develop systematic plans, and fully guarantee the quality of tourists' travel and experiences.

The Greater Bay Area "encircles" diverse consumption

With the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, and other transportation hubs forming a dense network, the "circle consumption" in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has long transcended geographical boundaries and is now a transformation of lifestyles.

This year's government work report proposed building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into an international science and technology innovation center and creating a world-class source of scientific and technological innovation; at the same time, it supports the Greater Bay Area in developing into a world-class city cluster. This marks the ninth consecutive year since 2017 that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has appeared in the government work report.

Currently, the Greater Bay Area is connecting diverse consumption scenarios with a "one-hour living circle," allowing cultural identity and economic vitality among the three regions to deeply integrate through frequent cross-border flows.

From "idol worship" to "city chasing," the performing arts economy is reshaping the landscape of cultural and tourism consumption, making the twin cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen even more dazzling.

In 2026, Guangzhou's Tianhe District alone will host 53 large-scale concerts, featuring artists such as Jay Chou, David Tao, Li Ronghao, Jolin Tsai, and Stefanie Sun. Shenzhen is not to be outdone, with a host of superstar groups including Phoenix Legend, Angela Chang, and Nicholas Tse announcing their participation.

Peng Peng stated that the competition among cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen, to become "concert cities" is not unfounded. Both cities enjoy the geographical advantage of being adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao, allowing Hong Kong and Macao artists to perform in the north without long journeys, while audiences in Guangzhou and Shenzhen regularly travel south to Hong Kong and Macao to watch performances. This two-way flow constitutes a unique cross-border performing arts market in China.

Nowadays, it has become common for Hong Kong and Macao artists to travel to the mainland. This is not only due to cost considerations based on the "proximity principle," but also because Hong Kong and Macao artists have a precise grasp of the consumption potential of the Greater Bay Area. Audiences in Guangzhou and Shenzhen have a strong willingness to buy tickets, and the surrounding consumption has a significant effect. Concerts have become a form of social currency and a lifestyle.

The sports event economy is also an important growth driver for cultural and tourism consumption in the Greater Bay Area. The 2026 Government Work Report clearly stated that it is necessary to actively develop the sports event economy, the winter sports economy, and outdoor sports, build and make good use of sports venues and facilities near the public, and cultivate more distinctive mass sports events and activities.

During this year's Two Sessions, NPC deputy Kenneth Fok proposed that the Greater Bay Area has the experience of successfully hosting the National Games, giving it confidence and the knowledge to operate effectively. He expressed hope that the Greater Bay Area could create its own sports IP in the future. "The realization of the Greater Bay Area's sports IP requires accumulation and time, but it will definitely succeed."

Last year, the 15th National Games and the National Paralympic Games were successfully held in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. More than 5 million tickets available for sale drove at least 5 million visits and consumption, fully demonstrating the role of sports events in boosting urban cultural and tourism consumption.

The "post-National Games era" will not only inject strong vitality into the Greater Bay Area economy, but also enhance the quality of urban spaces in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Taking Guangzhou Tianhe District as an example, thanks to the successful hosting of the 15th National Games, the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center has been transformed into a vibrant new core that integrates the city and venues and achieves a win-win situation for both the competition and the people.

Huang Zhuofeng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Tianhe District Committee and Executive Deputy District Mayor, previously stated that Tianhe will use a high frequency of sports events and performances, "one per week," to attract a large audience. The district will host more than 40 high-level events, including the National Diving Championships, and more than 50 concerts, aiming to create the most prestigious sports venues and the largest performing arts center in the Greater Bay Area.

Meanwhile, new information has emerged. It is understood that the Hong Kong Jockey Club Conghua Racecourse will host its first regular international standard speed horse race at the end of October this year, marking the resumption of horse racing in Guangzhou after a 27-year hiatus. As the largest and highest-standard racecourse in mainland China, Conghua Racecourse's grandstand, with a capacity of 9,500 people, has been completed.

Peng Peng believes that Guangzhou's hosting of regular international sporting events at the Conghua Equestrian Center provides Guangdong with an excellent opportunity to capitalize on the long-tail effect of the National Games and stimulate cultural and sports consumption. The Greater Bay Area's potential for cultural and tourism development continues to be unleashed, manifested in cross-border leisure and wellness, youth trend experiences, the integration of culture, sports, commerce, and tourism, and convenient consumption within the Greater Bay Area.

Xie Baojian also suggested leveraging the convenient commuting advantages of the Greater Bay Area's "one-hour living circle," and using concerts, international sporting events, and performing arts exhibitions as drivers of niche consumption, to strengthen the coordinated development of cultural and tourism resources in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This would involve promoting the integrated connection of venues, commercial districts, and scenic spots, creating multi-functional scenarios that combine cross-city performances, sporting events, leisure vacations, and nighttime consumption. The goal is to upgrade niche consumption to all-area consumption, regular consumption, and high-end consumption, accelerating the construction of a new, interconnected, supply-demand-matched, and vibrant cultural and tourism consumption pattern in the Greater Bay Area. (Original text from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Portal)