Aerial photo, taken on November 7, shows Furong Town Scenic Area in Yongshun County in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. (Photo/Chen Sihan, Xinhua)

After seeing a photo of Furong Town on a Russian travel forum, a 36-year-old Russian man was so captivated by the stunning scenery that he immediately booked tickets and hotels through Ctrip's overseas platform.

Furong Town is located in Yongshun County in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province. With a history of more than 2,000 years, this place is known as "an ancient town hanging on the waterfall."

Photo, taken on November 7, shows a 36-year-old Russian man (R) and his family member visiting Furong Town Scenic Area in Yongshun County. (Photo/Chen Sihan, Xinhua)

A Costa Rican man was also attracted by the beauty of Furong Town. "I fell in love with this place the moment I saw it online, and I spent a year preparing for this trip," he said, adding that everything has gone smoothly, including customs entry, hotel reservations and transportation. The foreign traveler and his friends will embark on a 12-day trip to China. 

Photo, taken on November 7, shows Costa Rican man (1st, L) and his friend posing for a group photo at the Furong Town Scenic Area in Yongshun County. (Photo/Chen Sihan, Xinhua)

Since the beginning of this year, a large number of foreign tourists have visited Xiangxi, thanks to China's further expansion of the 144-hour transit visa-free policy, the increase of international flights, the implementation of a series of inbound tourism facilitation measures, and the buzzword "China Travel" on overseas social media. In the first three quarters of this year, Xiangxi received 254,000 inbound tourist trips, a year-on-year increase of nearly 4 times.
 
To better connect with the overseas tourism market, over the past year, Xiangxi Prefecture has strengthened cooperation with travel platforms, social media and overseas "internet celebrities" to increase overseas promotion. Meanwhile, the authorities have continued to improve public signs and payment services, upgrading the quality of tourism products as well.

Photo, taken on November 7, shows foreign tourists posing for a group photo at the Furong Town Scenic Area in Yongshun County. (Photo/Chen Sihan, Xinhua)

As one of the first scenic spots to benefit from the development of "China Travel," Furong Town is experiencing a boom in inbound tourism this year. Tourists from Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and other countries have increased significantly.

Photo, taken on November 7, shows an English tour guide named Xu Yan (C) communicating with foreign tourists at the Furong Town Scenic Area in Yongshun County. (Photo/Chen Sihan, Xinhua)

Overseas travel agents are also targeting the "blue ocean" of China's mountain tourism market. From November 7 to 9, the 3rd Xiangxi Prefecture Tourism Development Conference was held in Yongshun County. The Honorary Vice President of the New Zealand-China Maori Ethnic Minority Cultural Tourism Promotion Association made a special trip from New Zealand to Yongshun to sign a cooperation agreement.

"I didn't expect that even in the mountainous areas of China, transportation, accommodation, and meals are very convenient for travelers. I am very optimistic about this market and hope to provide more opportunities for cultural and tourism cooperation between New Zealand and China," the honorary vice president noted.

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

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Xinhua