Zhangjiajie's Inbound Visitors Increase 59‑Fold in Five Years

On October 28, the Information Office of the Hunan Provincial People's Government held a press conference on the results delivered during Hunan's 14th Five‑Year Plan period. Focusing on the theme "Anchoring High‑Quality Development and Accelerating the Building of a World‑Class Tourism Destination," the conference presented Zhangjiajie's economic and social development achievements during the 14th Five‑Year Plan period.

Tourists visited the Tianzi Mountain Scenic Area of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan Province on October 23. (Photo/Wu Yongbing)

As a key national tourism city and the representative of Hunan's cultural tourism calling card for its "remarkable natural scenery," Zhangjiajie has devoted the past five years to establishing itself into a benchmark city for inbound tourism, upgrading from a "hidden peak‑forest wonderland" to a "global stage." In 2024, the city's total tourist trips and total tourism revenue increased by 88.62% and 104.35% respectively compared to 2020. Inbound visitors saw explosive growth, rising from 31,000 in 2020 to 1.8306 million in 2024 — a 59‑fold increase, and 33.58% higher than the best pre‑pandemic year. These inbound visitors came from 183 countries and regions.

"Now many netizens say that Zhangjiajie's mountains are  'teeming with foreigners'," said Zhong Jun, deputy secretary of the CPC Zhangjiajie Municipal Committee and deputy secretary of the CPC Leadership Group of the Zhangjiajie Municipal People's Government. He explained that the global popularity of Zhangjiajie is largely attributable to "four key improvements."

Culture gains wider appeal. Zhangjiajie has created the super IP "He who has not visited Zhangjiajie cannot claim to be a centenarian," which resonates deeply with visitors from East Asian cultural circles including South Korea. The city has also inherited and innovated folk culture: the Tujia brocade "Xilankapu" cultural creative product series are now sold in more than 30 countries worldwide, and the Zhangjiajie Lantern Festival has become a carnival where hundreds of thousands of Chinese and international tourists experience folk activities such as the Maogusi dance.

On October 26, the XTERRA Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Trail Run, part of the 2025 XTERRA Trail Run World Series was held in Zhangjiajie's Wulingyuan District. The photo shows trail runners during the competition. (Photo/Deng Daoli)

Tourism offerings become more fun. The city has strengthened the deep connection between its magical landscapes and trendy sports. Activities such as wingsuit flying at Tianmen Mountain, the "Sky Ladder" at Qixing Mountain, and bungee jumping at the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon attract extreme sports enthusiasts from around the world. Events including the International Street Dance Festival, the International New Acrobatic Theater Festival, and the XTERRA Trail Run World Series have also made Zhangjiajie an important platform for young people from China and abroad to showcase their talents, compete, and exchange ideas.

Entry becomes more convenient. Zhangjiajie Port has been approved as a port of entry and exit for visa-free transit individuals. It has opened 19 international air routes, built a smart port, and reduced customs clearance time to within 15 minutes. In 2024, the port handled 563,000 entry-exit trips, firmly ranking first among non-provincial-capital cities in central and western China. Among these, foreign travelers accounted for 95% of the total, the highest proportion among all national air ports. Additionally, a direct high-speed rail link to Hong Kong has been launched, allowing tourists to enjoy breakfast in Hong Kong and arrive at Wulingyuan by noon to see the spectacular peak-forest landscape.

Services become more considerate. Zhangjiajie has been selected as one of the first national key cities for optimizing payment services. It has innovatively launched the "Exchange Wallet" service for inbound tourists. More than 2,000 key merchant POS terminals now accept foreign bank card payments, and ATMs of the six major state-owned banks all support foreign card cash withdrawals. In the first half of 2025, Zhangjiajie ranked among the top seven destinations in China for Visa spending by overseas tourists. To address the most prominent issue of language barriers, Zhangjiajie has issued licenses to 1,187 guides in less commonly taught languages, and achieved full coverage of Chinese, English, and Korean signage at its 39 rated scenic areas.

Chinese source: Chinanews