On July 15, Beijing launched the night-time economy campaign with a focus on “Beijing style”, fashion, culture, and technology. The promotion will last until November 2022 and will include nearly 10,000 businesses in the city.
Under this new policy, operating hours of stores, museums, libraries, bookstores, and more will be extended late into the evening in order to tap into late-night consumption potential and boost the economy. A series of night-time activities will take place throughout the summer, from open-air concerts to outdoor markets and walking tours for people to explore the city at night.
In order to further enhance the vitality of night-time consumption, Beijing strives to combine business with tourism, sports, and art exhibitions in innovative ways. For instance, every Friday and Saturday evening from 7:30 to 9:30 pm, late-night explorers can enjoy an evening climb at the national-favorite Badaling Great Wall.
To incentivise the public even further, Beijing issued a number of coupons for citizens to use on weekends which immediately became a hit. According to Meituan, the past week alone has seen an increase in the number of orders for dine-in packages and vouchers on the platform of more than 38% year on year.
Late night economies are extremely beneficial as they allow local governments to diversify their leisure and commercial activities while boosting local tourism. Additionally, it serves as a source of employment and additional revenue for local governments – both of which are extremely crucial to China’s post-covid economic recovery.
In 2020, the Chinese night-time economy exceeded 30 trillion RMB ($4.64 trillion). This year, it is expected to expand even further as people spend more time outdoors following the ease of COVID restrictions.
By boosting the city’s nightlife, Beijing is on its way to increasing consumer spending and economic growth. Meanwhile, night owls far and wide are sure in for a treat.
