A night view of Tianjin Photo: VCG

 
Nighttime consumption scenes have remained vibrant following the largest-ever Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 held in North China's Tianjin, as the light installations and illuminated landmark buildings along the Haihe River together present a dazzling cityscape for citizens and tourists.

According to Tianjin Tourism (Holdings) Group Co, cruise popularity surged during the summer, with August alone welcoming 280,000 visitors, a 27 percent increase from the previous month. Night routes accounted for more than 70 percent of these trips, making them the highlight of Tianjin's nighttime tourism, reported chinanews.com.cn on Sunday. 

Wang Jingying, a researcher at Trip.com Research Institute, said that since August this year, the number of tourists visiting Tianjin has increased by more than 13 percent year-on-year, with spending growing more than 12 percent year-on-year. 

Bookings for night tours have seen a particularly significant increase, with the nighttime economy becoming a key driver of tourism consumption in Tianjin. This not only extends tourists' stay in the city but also boosts secondary consumption in areas such as dining and accommodation, Wang told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Along the Haihe River, not only were light shows held during the summit, but such activities are also being incorporated into regular nighttime operations. The interweaving of sightseeing and performances, leisure and consumption, creates a unique landscape for night tours in Tianjin.

Tianjin's vibrancy mirrors China's nighttime economy boom, with regions including Jiangsu, Sichuan and Chongqing enhancing offerings, showing nighttime cultural consumption has entered regional development strategies.

A report from the China Tourism Academy indicated that 63 percent of China's 5A-level scenic spots operated at night in 2024, up from 23 percent in 2020, with more than one-third of national museums hosting after-dark events during the summer. 

Data showed that as of late July, there were more than 1.65 million domestic night economy-related enterprises, mainly distributed in Guangdong, Shandong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Jiangsu and other places. So far this year, 168,600 related enterprises have been registered, reported the Xinhua News Agency on August 13. 

Global Times