During the National Day holiday, Danxia Mountain in Shaoguan, Guangdong, drew large crowds. An earlier remark by TV personality Sa Beining, "Whenever you're not working, come to Danxia Mountain," has recently resurfaced on social media, helping bring the scenic area back into the spotlight.

Data shows that between September 5th and October 4th, Danxia Mountain received 590,700 visitor trips, a year-on-year increase of 112.5%. During the first four days of the National Day holiday, it received 227,000 visitor trips, up 78.4% year-on-year.
Beyond the online buzz, the scenic area continued to enhance its tourism offerings. A new cableway began operations, increasing its passenger capacity sixfold. The Bazhai Scenic Area reopened, while immersive night tours remained in operation. During the holiday, the scenic area also introduced a range of activities, including wuxia-themed NPC experiences, a sunrise music festival, and intangible cultural heritage performances, giving visitors more ways to enjoy the area throughout the day rather than simply hiking during the daytime.
Policy support further reduced travel costs. In September, the scenic area offered free admission to university students from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, as well as free admission on World Tourism Day. During the National Day holiday, tickets were offered at 20% off, with the discounts complemented by 30 million yuan in subsidies under the Guangdong Golden-Autumn Culture and Tourism Consumption Season campaign. The scenic area also provided free parking to ease pressure from the influx of self-driving visitors during the holiday.
Meanwhile, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province leveraged the "City Cultural Tourism Carnival" to promote Danxia Mountain through influencer trips, high-speed rail advertising, outdoor promotions, and other channels, helping turn online buzz into travel bookings.
Danxia Mountain's surge in popularity was not simply the result of a single viral quote. From promotion and visitor attraction to tourism product upgrades and policy support and services, coordinated efforts helped turn short-term online traffic into real tourism spending.
Driving traffic into the scenic area is only the first step. More importantly, getting visitors to stay, explore, and spend is the true value of a tourism destination that goes viral