Rising market

The successful career changes made by Zheng and Huang mirror the rising rural tourism market nationwide.

Last year, the number of rural tours made during the major holidays of Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Labor Day, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day rose by 162 percent year-on-year and nearly doubled compared with 2019, Trip.com Group reported.

Bookings made through the travel agency for village homestays last year were up 2.6 times on those for 2019, before the pandemic emerged, the report said.

The number of homestays on the agency's website has risen to 330,000, compared with 220,000 in 2019.

The agency reported that revenue from its 25-plus rural vacation resorts across the country has benefited local economies by more than 860 million yuan, adding that total revenue at these resorts grew by 269 percent compared with 2022.

The report said members of Generation Z — those born in the late 1990s or early 21st century — from first- and second-tier cities were the fastest-growing group for rural tourism consumption last year, rising by 164 percent over the previous year.

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