Foreign tourists flock to Hunan and savor local culture

From its bustling capital of Changsha to the mountainous city of Zhangjiajie, Hunan province in Central China is abuzz with an influx of foreign tourists.

At the ongoing third Hunan Tourism Development Conference held in Hengyang from Friday to Sunday, provincial officials hailed inbound tourism as a driving force for the local economy and pledged to spare no effort in promoting Hunan's rich cultural and tourism resources to global visitors.

According to a report released by the Ctrip travel platform, as of Aug 25, the number of inbound tourism orders to destinations in Hunan increased by 137 percent year-on-year. Over the first six months of 2024, the province welcomed 1.4 million inbound visits, generating $364 million in revenue, representing increases of 5.69 and 6.68-fold year-on-year respectively.

Resumption of international flights, improvements in inbound travel, recovery of the inbound tourism supply chain and active marketing efforts are cited as contributing factors in the booming market.

Foreigners entering and exiting through Changsha and Zhangjiajie airports represent 125 countries, with the top five in terms of numbers being from South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore — accounting for 91 percent. Following implementation of the visa-free policy for entry into China, the number of inbound tourists from Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore to Hunan has increased significantly, with arrivals from those three countries exceeding 10 times the figures from the same period last year.

In the first half of 2024, Zhangjiajie welcomed 910,000 inbound visits, ranking first in the province, with a 569.17 percent year-on-year increase. It brought the city about $247 million in tourism revenue, a 673.55 percent increase year-on-year.

The popularity of inbound tourism in Hunan is closely tied to supportive policies. In March, the province advocated the measures to promote the cultural and creative tourism industry, which explicitly advocate promotion of inbound tourism products. The province has also set up cultural and tourism promotion centers and cultivated a group of key enterprises to develop inbound tourism routes targeting different overseas markets.

Support has been provided for Changsha and Zhangjiajie to make good use of the 72-hour and the 144-hour transit visa-free policy, while the recovery and expansion of international flight routes has dramatically influenced development of Hunan's inbound tourism. The summer and autumn flight schedules, spanning March 31 to Oct 26, include a total of 7,076 flights across nine airports, marking a record high — and an 8.3 percent increase compared to 2023.

In February, Changsha conducted an eight-day cultural tourism promotion event in Osaka, Japan; and Seoul, South Korea; to boost the influence of the capital city's culture and tourism resources.

On June 1, the 2024 Hunan International Cultural Tourism Festival and Trip Group Global Partner Hunan (Zhangjiajie) Inbound Tourism Conference welcomed more than 1,000 foreign guests from more than 50 countries and regions.

"The festival provides an excellent opportunity and platform for the development of Hunan's inbound tourism market. The attendees become a major force to drive the inbound tourism market and contribute wisdom to the upgrading of inbound tourism consumption and the tourism industry's new forms," said Shang Bin, deputy director of the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.

Building worldwide renowned tourism destinations is a long-term goal for Hunan. Previously, opinions on accelerating construction of world-renowned tourism destinations issued by the provincial government outlined targets such as achieving revenue of 1.1 trillion yuan ($154.66 billion) by 2025 and hosting more than 750 million visits. Now, by promoting its five signature attractions, Hunan aims to optimize its tourism industry to have more globalized characteristics.

The first attraction is the picturesque landscape represented by Zhangjiajie. The second attraction is the red tourism and patriotic education paths represented by Shaoshan Mountain. The third attraction is the city tour represented by Changsha. The fourth attraction is the agriculture-themed routes represented by Chengtou Mountain Ancient Cultural Site in Changde. The fifth attraction is the historical culture represented by Mount Heng in Hengyang city. This effort will enrich the forms of tourism consumption, intensify market promotion efforts and enhance the influence of Hunan province nationwide and globally, officials said.