Staycations soar as travelers embrace local experiences

Parks are ready for local tourists

"The popularity of staycations means that residents are willing to explore their own city for fun. It has encouraged us to create more tourism products that focus on an immersive experience," says Zheng Fang, vice-president of Haichang Ocean Park Holdings Ltd, which runs 10 theme parks across China.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park has prepared various festive performances including lion dances for the Spring Festival holiday.

At night, visitors can watch a parade with festooned vehicles and a fantastic immersive light show above water, combined with fireworks and augmented reality scenes.

They can have a family reunion dinner there, or simply go to a temple fair to sample different snacks from across China.

The Chinese name of killer whales is hujing, which literally means "tiger whales". The cute marine animal is a favorite among Chinese tourists because 2022 is the Year of Tiger.

The staff members will introduce the park's killer whales and scientific knowledge about them to the audience.

The park also carries strict preventive measures against COVID-19, such as noncontact services and regular disinfections.

A unique difference of Legoland Discovery Center Beijing is that adults must be accompanied by a child to enter.

The indoor amusement park's recreation facilities and interactive games are especially designed for both parents and children, so that they can spend some quality time together.

Most of the visitors are local residents－parents and children who age between 3 and 10. Peak seasons are summer and winter vacations and the Spring Festival holiday.

They can also enjoy a miniature Beijing made from over 510,000 Lego bricks－including the city's landmarks, ranging from historical sites like the Forbidden City, to the National Stadium and the central business district's skyscrapers.

The center's activities combine education with recreation, with a wide range of topics such as biodiversity and protecting China's coastline, so that children can learn knowledge and have fun via building with Lego bricks.