Major attractions, such as Changsha, Shaoshan and Zhangjiajie, backed up by modern facilities and infrastructure

The tourism industry in Hunan province grew considerably in the first 10 months of 2017, as demonstrated by the rush during the eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival break in the first week of October.

During that week, the province received a total of 61.47 million visits, an increase of 22.71 percent year-on-year.

Tourism revenue hit 34.86 billion yuan ($5.27 billion), an increase of 29.46 percent year-on-year.

Central China's Hunan has abundant tourism resources to attract visitors.

The three major hot tourist destinations in the province are: the city of Changsha, capital of the province; Shaoshan Mountain, hometown of the founder of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong; and Zhangjiajie, a 5A-level national scenic spot, known for its "floating" mountains. According to statistics from the China National Tourism Administration, these three destinations received more than 60 percent of all the province's visitors during the holiday.

More than 30,000 group high-speed railway tickets were booked in Changsha North Station.

Besides the three biggest destinations, Hengshan Mountain in Hengyang is regarded as one of the five most beautiful and renowned mountains in Chinese history.

As a traditional tourist attraction, Hengshan Mountain has met a new opportunity.

Ten years ago, the mountain only stood there as another section of landscape in the province, but now it has become a comprehensive site for tourism after the concept of all-region tourism bloomed.

Not restricted to its beautiful landscape, visitors now come to the mountain to experience the unique religious culture, to meditate and at the same time, visit for summer trips or research.

All-region tourism requires the all-round construction of one tourism destinations, covering infrastructure, toilets in scenic spots and other projects to upgrade the quality of tourists' experience.

"The business of tourism is such a wonderful industry. It has the special function of setting up platforms, promoting the sharing economy and generating added value," said Chen Xianchun, director of the Hunan Tourism Development Commission.

Thanks to the positive effects of tourism, the industries of culture, science, technology and finance will develop comprehensively, according to Chen.

When entering Hunan, visitors can be amazed by traditional ancient towns, Buddhist culture, mountains and rivers, or the vibrant urban life.

In recent years, non-tourism capital began to get involved in the tourism market as the trend of all-region tourism took off in the province.

New patterns of tourism have come to maturity, featuring ecological tourism, factories and plants, revolutionary bases and shopping malls.

In 2016, 31 organizations and tourism spots in Hunan were added to the list of national demonstration sites for all-region tourism. The province has the highest amount in the country.

The 31 sites added last year received a total of 350 million visits, generating more than 260 billion yuan in income.

Those accounted for 62.8 percent of the province's total visits and 55.6 percent of total tourism revenue.

Leveraging its abundant tourism resources, Hunan launched a series of tourism activities and prepared itself for more international exchanges. The 15th China Hunan International Tourism Festival, the Eighth China Hunan Tourism Industry Expo and seasonal rural tourism festivals kicked off one after another in the province.

The province has launched international tourism fairs in Thailand, Germany, Russia and the United States, as a key force to attract global tourists. At present, Hunan has formed 10 major brands on the minsu market, which provides accommodation in private homes; ecological tourism, cultural towns and studying tourism; self-driving tourism; and health rehabilitation. The industries of sports tourism, tourism products, performing, arts, shopping and catering performed well along with the booming local tourism industry.

liyou@chinadaily.com.cn

(HK Edition 11/29/2017 page15)