More than 21 million tourist visits were made in Hunan during the three-day New Year’s Day holiday from December 30, 2023 to January 1, 2024, statistics from the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism showed.

According to the department, the number was 65.5 % higher than the same period last year. During this period, the total revenue in Hunan's tourist market hit 20.754 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 79.5%.

At 00:00 on January 1, 2024, residents and tourists release balloons together to ring in the new year at Changsha's Huangxing Road Pedestrian Street.

A series of activities were held in Hunan to celebrate the new year, including the 2023 Hunan Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism New Year's Fair, new year’s concerts at the Changsha Concert Hall, new year wish-making events at Emperor Yan's Mausoleum in Zhuzhou, and a new year riddle-guessing event in Loudi. In addition, folk customs events were arranged in Pingtan Township in Huaihua City, including a contest of stilt-walking, lusheng (a reed-pipe wind instrument) performances, a ciba-making event (a traditional food made of sticky rice), and a bonfire party.
 
Changsha, Nanyue, Shaoshan, Zhangjiajie, and Fenghuang all witnessed a tourism boom, leading to the thriving of Hunan's tourism sector during the holiday. Tourist trips made in the Wulingyuan Core Scenic Area, the Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area, and the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Scenic Area increased by more than double compared to the same period of last year.

Many residents and tourists chose rural tours and short-distance trips during the holiday. Xiangtan’s 11 rural tourism scenic spots included in the holiday monitoring system received 16,600 tourist visits, a surge of 266.9% year on year. Xiangxi Prefecture’s 10 rural tourism scenic spots received 15,400 tourist visits and generated a revenue of more than 2.6 million yuan, up 156.02% and 2287.58% respectively. Shaodong City launched activities with the theme of rural revitalization, including sightseeing tours, fruit picking, tasting of local delicacies, homestay experiences, and green food purchasing. The activities helped stimulate the growth of farm-related tourism and increased the sales of local specialties.

The holiday also brought tourists with new travel experiences through AR technologies and immersive tourism products. The Jiuyi Mountain Scenic Area in Yongzhou City held a China-chic garden party which integrated traditional Chinese elements with current fashion trends. The Zhijiang County “Metaverse” Sci-tech Experience Hall in Huaihua City was opened to the public. Nighttime tours became popular among tourists. The Beihu All Day Cultural Tourism Consumption Cluster, the Dongjiangwan Provincial Tourist Resort, and Suxian District’s Yuhou Street in Chenzhou City carried out various nighttime activities to boost night tourism of the city.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Chinanews

Photo source: hunan.gov.cn