China’s Low Altitude Tourism Trend Takes Off

A skyward craze reshapes China travel

Cityfly is the new shorthand across China for seeing cities and scenic places from the air. Paragliding across bamboo hills, free fall skydiving above tropical water, and helicopter loops over canyons have moved from novelty to mainstream weekend plans. For a rising share of young travelers, the path across a city street has given way to a climb into the morning sky. The country’s fast growing low altitude tourism sector is turning vertical sightseeing into a repeatable, bookable product that fits short holidays and social media habits.

Behind the buzz is a mix of cheaper flights, strong local policy support, and new aircraft types. Bases that once hosted a handful of enthusiasts now run hundreds of daily sorties in peak seasons. Operators sell tightly scheduled experiences that last an hour or two, including transfer, safety briefing, and flight. The tone is less daredevil and more accessible thrill. Travelers collect intimate cityscapes and dramatic mountain shots from above, then share them widely. The result is a feedback loop that is pushing demand into new regions and tempting local governments to open fresh routes.

What is low altitude tourism?

Low altitude tourism describes paid civilian flight experiences that use airspace under about 1,000 meters. It includes tandem paragliding, skydiving, paramotor flights, scenic helicopter circuits, and small plane or amphibious seaplane rides over lakes or coasts. The same vertical corridor also supports drone services and aerial filming, which often share infrastructure with tourism operators. The common thread is short range flying close to the ground where passengers can see landmarks in detail.

On the ground, most products start at compact airstrips, helipads, or hillside platforms located near popular viewing points. Some cities publish low altitude corridors that keep traffic separate from sensitive areas, then approve set circuits during daylight hours when weather allows. Booking is as simple as picking a time slot in a travel app, scanning a quick safety checklist, and showing up with an ID. The experience aims to compress the feeling of flight into a safe, photogenic window that fits a tight itinerary.

From Zhejiang to Hainan, demand is soaring

In eastern Zhejiang Province, the rise is easy to see. At Mogan Mountain in Deqing County, a paragliding base that opened in 2019 has grown from fewer than 10,000 annual visitors to more than 100,000 today, according to its managers. During the recent eight day National Day and Mid Autumn Festival break, Huzhou, which administers Deqing, launched 16 low altitude flight routes that link seven sites across its hills and lakes. Deqing and neighbouring Anji are now provincial level pilot zones for the low altitude economy, a signal that public agencies and private operators are working together to build a durable market.

That wave of first time flyers includes students, young professionals, and families who plan trips around a single aerial adventure. One of them, Li Duo, a traveler in her early twenties from Shanghai, described her first tandem takeoff from the Mogan Mountain ridge as both exhilarating and surprisingly calm once airborne.

It is simply breathtaking to glide over the rolling bamboo forests and tea gardens while the wind roars in my ears. It unlocked a new perspective for me and gave me some incredible photos.

Far to the south in Hainan’s resort city of Sanya, skydiving has become a headline draw. Official tallies show about 287,000 visitors took part in low altitude tourism in the first half of 2024, a rise of 112 percent from a year earlier, generating more than 730 million yuan in revenue and creating around 2,300 jobs. A major skydiving base there reported roughly 6,000 customers in the first quarter of 2025, with steady growth since then. Scenic helicopter loops along the coastline and over nearby islands are filling out the product mix.

Policy and market momentum

Beijing put the low altitude economy on the national agenda in 2024, calling it a fresh engine for growth. That endorsement sped up local experiments, licensing, and investment. Civil aviation planners estimate the sector could reach about 1.5 trillion yuan in 2025 and expand toward 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035. Business registrations are racing to keep up. Across China there are roughly 89,000 active enterprises tied to low altitude activity, with about 11,700 new firms registered in the first five months of 2025, a year on year surge that outpaced the total for all of 2024.

Costs are falling while availability is rising. Zhao Yuehua, an expert at the aviation industry research center under China Development Observation, said price was a hard barrier a decade ago but no longer is for many urban travelers.

Flight costs have plummeted from around 3,000 yuan per person a decade ago to about 1,000 yuan today.

Lower entry prices give operators a larger base to serve. Local governments, in turn, are keen to add flight corridors that spread visitors across scenic zones and that feed small towns with new spending. That cycle helps explain why Zhejiang, Hainan, and other provinces are rolling out pilot programs for airspace, training, and safety compliance.

eVTOL and the next wave of aerial sightseeing

A new class of aircraft is set to push the trend further. In March 2025, EHang received regulatory approval to carry passengers commercially with its electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, the EH216 S. Trial services are planned in Guangzhou and Hefei, where short hops across riverfronts and business districts can be flown on preset routes. These craft use electric power and multiple small rotors, which can reduce noise and enable takeoff from compact pads compared with conventional helicopters.

Tourism operators are moving quickly to integrate this option. Plans are in motion to deploy small fleets of eVTOL aircraft at landmark sites in several provinces, starting with a handful of units and scaling toward dozens if demand proves steady. The model pairs automated flight control with a monitored ground system, with an on site team managing weather checks, passenger handling, and pad safety. For visitors, the draw is a smooth, near silent ascent and a sweeping view at low altitude without long transfers.

A collaboration in Zhejiang aims to place eVTOL sightseeing at well known attractions such as cliff side glass walkways and cavern parks. The goal is to build a smart tourism setup where ticketing, crowd control, and air operations sync on one platform.

How technology keeps the skies orderly

Behind the scenes, digital systems keep aircraft and drones from colliding and prevent flights from straying into restricted zones. China is rolling out networked traffic management that gives regulators and operators a live picture of who is flying and where. Remote identification beacons, geo fencing and altitude caps can be applied to both crewed sightseeing flights and drones.

Telecom carriers are upgrading to 5G Advanced, which allows faster, more reliable connections for live video feeds, telemetry and control links. For sites that lack strong coverage, operators rely on dedicated radio systems and on site weather stations. Civil aviation records show more than 1.26 million registered civilian drones and thousands of drone firms as of 2023, so shared standards are crucial for crowded skies near large cities.

Who is flying and how much it costs

Prices vary by location and format. A tandem paraglide in a mountain county often starts near 1,000 yuan, including gear and instructor time. Skydiving over a beach can run several thousand yuan depending on altitude and media packages. Short scenic helicopter loops in major cities are often priced per seat, with options for sunrise or night flights. For many first timers, the key change is that an aerial experience now fits a weekend budget.

Bookings follow familiar patterns from other parts of travel. Discount windows during weekdays drive volume, while holidays command peak pricing. Operators offer time stamped slots and clear cancel policies tied to wind, cloud base, or rain. Groups often bolt on the flight to a spa day, winery visit, or a hot spring stay to make a fuller itinerary.

Risks, rules and the learning curve

Safety sits at the center of each operation. Crews run mandatory briefings on harnesses, landing posture, and hand signals before paragliding. Skydiving instructors explain exits and canopy handling in a hangar before gearing up. Helicopter operators enforce strict weight and balance limits and seat belt checks. Weather is a hard stop. Flights pause if gusts rise or if clouds move below minimums.

Regulators use permits and audits to raise standards. Operators must have certified pilots and instructors, maintain aircraft on schedule, and purchase insurance that covers passengers. Travelers can help themselves by checking a company’s certificate, reviewing safety guidance in the booking app, and wearing snug clothing and closed shoes. Photos are welcome, yet the crew’s instructions always come first.

Economic ripple effects for destinations

The expansion of low altitude tourism spreads benefits well beyond the pad. Jobs range from pilots and riggers to photographers, pad marshals, dispatchers, and mechanics. Small cafes, guesthouses, and transport providers near launch sites gain new traffic. In rural counties, operators have revived idle airstrips and old reservoirs by pairing flying with nature parks.

Liao Jian, operations director of the Wuzhizhou Island tourism zone in Sanya, said the aerial surge fills a gap in how people want to experience a place.

By transforming travel from a two dimensional to a three dimensional experience, low altitude tourism has bridged a gap in the market and injected new momentum into tourism consumption.

Where the trend goes next

Expect more cities to set up dedicated low altitude corridors that knit together waterfronts, business districts, and scenic hills. eVTOL pads may appear beside ferry piers and metro links so that visitors can move from ground to air in minutes. Several provinces are planning networks that tie together airports, tourist attractions, medical facilities, and emergency response teams, which will raise the reliability of sightseeing schedules too.

Industry leaders are also calling for investment in training and infrastructure. At a recent briefing tied to a major expo in Guangzhou, one airline veteran and general aviation executive argued that human capital and basic facilities should come first for the Greater Bay Area.

Infrastructure and talents are the most urgent issues to be addressed for the low altitude sector in the Greater Bay Area.

At a Glance

• Sanya recorded about 287,000 low altitude tourism participants in the first half of 2024, up 112 percent year on year, generating more than 730 million yuan and around 2,300 jobs.
• Zhejiang’s Mogan Mountain paragliding base grew from fewer than 10,000 annual visitors in 2019 to over 100,000 today.
• Huzhou launched 16 new flight routes during the recent eight day holiday, linking seven scenic sites.
• Low altitude economy targets appeared in the 2024 government work report, accelerating local pilots and investment.
• About 89,000 enterprises operate in the low altitude sector nationwide, with around 11,700 new registrations in the first five months of 2025.
• Regulators project a market size near 1.5 trillion yuan in 2025, expanding toward 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035.
• Average flight prices have dropped from around 3,000 yuan to about 1,000 yuan per person over the past decade, widening access.
• EHang received approval in March 2025 to carry passengers commercially with its EH216 S eVTOL, clearing the way for short city hops.