Foreign tourists flock to Hunan and savor local culture

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.