As the summer vacation begins for schools across China, the two-month tourism peak has arrived. According to a summer market forecast report from an online travel platform, the top ten domestic tourist cities based on booking data are Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Urumqi, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, and Shenzhen.

However, beyond these big cities, lower-tier cities and counties are also showing vitality. In particular, coastal counties have emerged as popular destinations, only second to the trending Xinjiang region this year.

As summer temperatures rise, several coastal counties have gained popularity for their cool, comfortable climates, scenic beauty, and cost-effectiveness, making them attractive spots for summer vacations. According to the Dazhong Dianping platform (Dianping.com), searches for terms like "end of the Earth", "blue tears", and "double moon bay" are frequent, with "places with sea breezes" becoming a new trend in county-level tourism this summer.

The data from Meituan shows that in the past month, six of the top ten counties for cultural and tourism bookings are coastal cities: Rongcheng city in Shandong Province, Pingtan county in Fujian Province, Huidong county in Guangdong Province, Changli county in Hebei Province, Dongshan county in Fujian Province, and Nan'ao county in Guangdong Province. These locations have seen year-on-year growth in booking volumes of 154.9%, 73.4%, 89.5%, 87.4%, 204.2%, and 121.5%, respectively.

"I headed to the easternmost tip of the Shandong Peninsula as soon as summer vacation started, witnessing the first sunrise of July at the 'end of the Earth' in Chengshantou," said Ma Chao, a student from Zhengzhou city. After researching niche coastal cities, he chose Rongcheng for its proximity. "With an average summer temperature of just 25°C, mountains and sea, and affordable prices, it's perfect for "military-style" travel favored by college students, which is a new kind of tourism features visiting multiple scenic spots in a short and intense period," he said.

In Pingtan county of Fujian Province, July and August are still a prime time to witness "blue tears." The bioluminescent algae gradually fade by the end of June as temperatures rise, but the blue-glowing insects remain active, appearing on the shore with the evening tide. In the past month, searches for "Pingtan blue tears" on Dianping.com have increased by 71.6% year-on-year.

"Everyone thinks April is the best time to see 'blue tears', but you can also see them in July with fewer crowds and a better experience", said Liu Lu, who planned her off-peak trip to Pingtan after researching on local lifestyle platforms earlier this year. "Summer at the beach with sea breezes, seafood, sunrise and sunset views makes people feel more romantic than spring."

In Guangdong, visiting Nan'ao Island in Shantou for snorkeling, clam digging, and sea fishing has become a must-do summer activity for residents of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

As July began, Wang Zhuoran, who works in Hong Kong, headed north to Shantou city for his annual leave. "I've always wanted to snorkel in the clear waters of Nan'ao Island. I bought a group package that includes rental equipment and travel insurance, so I can enjoy the trip worry-free", he said.

Source :Yangcheng Evening News

去沿海“宝藏县城”避暑成今夏新风向

大中小学陆续开启暑假模式，为期两个月左右的暑期旅游季正式来临。在线旅游平台发布的暑期旅游市场预测报告显示，从预订数据看，上海、北京、成都、广州、西安、乌鲁木齐、杭州、重庆、南京、深圳是今年暑期国内十大热门旅游城市。

但在这些大城市之外，五线城市及县域等下沉市场依然表现活跃。这当中，除了今年大热的新疆外，就属“有海的县城”人气最旺。

随着暑期高温来临，一批沿海县城因清凉舒适、风景优越并具备高性价比，成为今夏避暑纳凉的热门旅游目的地。记者从大众点评平台了解到，“天尽头”“蓝眼泪”“双月湾”等海景关键词在搜索框频现，“去有海风的地方”成为今夏县城游的新风向。

根据美团数据，近1个月全国文旅预订交易额排名前十的县城里，有六座均为沿海城市，依次是：山东荣成市、福建平潭县、广东惠东县、河北昌黎县、福建东山县和广东南澳县，当地文旅预订单量同比增速分别达154.9%、73.4%、89.5%、87.4%、204.2%和121.5%。

“一放暑假就来打卡了山东半岛最东角，在被称为‘天尽头’的成山头见证了7月第一轮海上日出。”在盘点了国内小众沿海城市后，在郑州读书的马朝决定先到距离最近的荣成市，“这里夏季平均气温只有25℃，有山有海，物价不高，特别适合大学生‘特种兵’旅游。”他说。

而在福建平潭，7月至8月仍是“追泪”的最后时机：蓝色荧光水藻在6月底随着气温升高逐渐消退，活跃在夏季的蓝荧虫会伴随傍晚的涨潮来到海岸。近1个月，大众点评上“平潭蓝眼泪”关键词搜索量同比增速达71.6%。

“大家都以为只有4月是‘追泪’的最佳时间，但7月份来平潭也能看到‘蓝眼泪’，海滩上的人还会少一些，旅游体验更好。”年初就在本地生活平台做过游玩攻略的刘璐选择错峰到平潭旅游，“夏天来海边，吹海风、吃海鲜，看日出日落，总觉得要比春天更浪漫。”

在广东，前往汕头南澳岛体验浮潜、赶海、海钓等特色项目，则成为大湾区居民夏日必备旅程。

7月刚到，在中国香港工作的王卓然就北上汕头，计划在这里度过他的年假，“一直都想去南澳岛玻璃海浮潜，我买了浮潜团购，不仅价格优惠，能免费提供全套设备，还有平台赠送的游乐险，这回可以放心玩了。”

文 | 记者 刘星彤
图 | 资料图
翻译 | 赵凡