Visiting museums has become a frequent leisure activity in China. The museum boom is changing in an important way, as people are no longer just visiting museums for quick sightseeing but for deeper immersive cultural experiences that foster understanding, knowledge and emotional connection, according to a report.

Travel portal Ly.com and knowledge-sharing platform Zhihu jointly released the 2026 Museum Travel Consumption Trend Report on International Museum Day on Monday.

From Jan 1 to May 15 this year, the popularity of cultural and museum-related scenic spots on Ly.com rose by more than 40 percent year-on-year. One out of every eight users who booked scenic spot tickets chose a museum.

Families are the dominant group of museumgoers. A high number of bookings for parent-child cultural and museum tours has made summer the peak season each year. Since January, the number of post-2000s who have visited museums in two or more cities has increased by 22 percent.

Meanwhile, affluent and time-flexible seniors lean toward in-depth museum experiences. More than half choose weekday visits to avoid crowds, seeking a quiet, relaxed viewing environment.

Saturday is the clear peak day for museum attendance. Bookings for museum night tours have jumped 52 percent year-on-year since January.

Guided tours have gone from optional to essential, as visitors are paying to understand the stories and cultural significance behind relics. Bookings for cultural and museum products with guided tours on Ly.com have jumped by more than 62 percent year-on-year. Parent-child tours and the post-2000s generation are the biggest fans of "exploring while listening".

On Zhihu, discussions among users about in-depth topics, including archaeological sites, curatorial ideas, and the significance of cultural relics, have become more popular than content on artifact appraisal, such as dating and authenticity.

Cultural and museum destinations are seeing more diversification. While many are visiting cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, Sichuan province, for their abundant cultural and museum offerings, some are choosing non-first-tier cities in search of distinctive regional culture.

On Ly.com, the booking popularity for cultural and museum attractions in third and smaller-tier cities has grown rapidly. The top cities are Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Huai'an and Taizhou, Jiangsu province.