Xiamen hosted over 500 events during Dragon Boat Festival, offering new experiences in a bid to help redefine the vacation. Travel platforms ranked the city among the top 10 in China in the following three categories: inbound tourism in general, the "5-hour flight circle" market, and graduation season food destinations.

"Minnan Timewalk" themed attraction launches its Dragon Boat Festival Garden Party. [Photo/Minnan Timewalk]

Haicang Lake staged dragon boat races as well as traditional folk performances and a slew of interactive activities, while Heping Wharf offered festive cruises. Tourist sites rolled out themed programs ranging from historical comedy and poetry challenges to role-playing games, live shows, and lantern displays. Shopping malls blended tradition with modern retail through folk dances, rice dumpling-making, sachet crafts, hanfu shows, and dragon boat races on terra firma.

MixC hosts the Fujian debut of Miriam Yeung's IP "Am'miri", with a giant elf sculpture and pop-up store drawing fans. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

The "first-store" and "first-launch" economy also heated up. MixC hosted the Fujian debut of Miriam Yeung's IP "Am'miri", with a giant elf sculpture and pop-up store drawing fans. MixC Phase II opened over 100 new stores including more than 60 city-firsts.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup now well underway, malls hosted viewing parties, prediction games, and promotions. A new "ticket code" system linked event attendance with discounts. 

Xiamen offered a full line-up of free public performances over the holiday — street art on Zhongshan Road, concerts at the Music Plaza, and shows by local opera troupes.

Consumer subsidies also gave spending a boost. A smart home subsidy program covered five product categories, with discounts of up to 2,000 yuan ($294.67). Suning saw a 162 percent sales jump in related items. Car subsidies and mall promotions further fueled the shopping spree.