Hunan Sees Nearly 18.5 Mln Tourist Trips in May Day Holiday

During the just-ended five-day May Day holiday, Hunan Province has seen nearly 18.5 million trips, up 3.91% from the same period in 2023, according to the information released by the Hunan Department of Culture and Tourism.

Tourists watch performances at Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie. (Photo/Zhang Hongtao)

Hunan has become a popular topic on social platforms. The scenic areas around the province have been streamed with tourists.

According to the data of major Chinese travel platforms, Changsha has seen a 190% weekly surge over the previous year in tourism orders, covering tourist attractions, accommodation, and transportation. It has topped the lists of "top ten hot tourist destinations", "popular tourist destinations for the generation after 00s", and "hottest domestic destination cities". The telecommunication data showed that Changsha received more than 1.55 million tourist visits from outside of Changsha at 13:00 on May 3 in an instantaneous manner.

The "Charming Xiangxi" performance during the May Day holiday. (Photo/Zhang Hongtao)

Hengyang City has launched a series of traditional Chinese culture activities, including Hanfu shows and night fairs. Between May 1 and 3, Hengyang's 22 tourist attractions have received 568,700 tourist visits, making an operating revenue of nearly 453.43 million yuan.

On May 4, Shaoshan City received 41,500 tourists, with a comprehensive tourism revenue of 20.75 million yuan.

According to the latest South Korean travel agency statistics, the bookings of group tours to China in May surged 608% year on year, with Zhangjiajie and Furong Town in Hunan among the most popular destinations.

On May 2, Ziquejie Terraced Fields and Meishan Longgong Karst Cave in Xinhua County have saw 59.06% and 52.33% year-on-year growth in the number of tourist visits and the tourism revenue respectively.

Orange Isle in Changsha is streamed with tourists during the May Day holiday. (Photo/Shi Liang)

The 373 museums, libraries, and cultural centers under monitoring have received nearly 1.3 million visits over the five-day holiday, making a year-on-year increase of 38.97%. Among them, 90 museums handled 879,200 visits, up 29.23%.

New products and new business patterns such as immersive performances, interactive experiences, and intelligent tourism services have flourished. Changsha has integrated 175 new scenarios and new recreation ways such as the International Street Art Festival, and AR experience flashmob shows, which have been in the spotlight.

Folk custom performances such as Tujia Da Liu Zi, Dayong Martial Arts, Nuo mask dance, and Tujia handwaving dance were staged at Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain scenic area, which have become popular tourist experiences.