Hunan sees cultural tourism consumption rise in summer
2023-08-03
Cultural museum theme tour continues to be popular
The high temperature in many places of Hunan has not stopped people from traveling since July. According to Ctrip data, orders for transportation, accommodation and scenic areas this summer in Hunan have exceeded that of the same period in 2019. As of the first half of July, the top 10 popular tourism destinations in China this summer had been Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Nanjing and Changsha.
The recent historical films “Chang An” and “Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms” has once again driven up the popularity of the cultural museum theme tour. The order volume for museums this summer increased by 232% year on year, and the order volume for study tourism products increased more than 30 times year on year, with the order volume in July increased by 280% compared with the previous two months.
Hunan Museum, Changsha Museum, the Ancient Town of Tongguan Kiln and other popular attractions have attracted a large number of tourists. Among them, China’s first large-scale local epic drama “The story of Hunan” is being staged in Changsha. It selected 10 key moments and events from the 10,000-year history to tell about the historical development of Hunan. The extremely dramatic interpretation was popular with tourists.
Hunan Museum also launched such exhibitions as the “Descendants of the Jaguar—Exhibition of Ancient Mexico Civilizations” and the “Wandering—Digital Art in Historical Spacetime”, attracting visitors in droves.
Cool scenic areas boost the cultural tourism economy
People try to seek coolness with the arrival of high temperature in summer. Water parks, river rafting, ancient towns and other destinations for enjoying coolness promote the development of the cultural tourism economy.
Liuyang Zhouluo Grand Canyon has captured this market demand, and attracted a large number of tourists with unique natural landscapes and rich recreational activities. Since the summer holiday, the tourism has heated up significantly, and the order volume of various tourism products has far exceeded that of the same period in 2019. Among them, the scenic area ticket bookings have increased by more than 20%, and the park admission rate has increased by 40.53% over the same period last year.
The Aizhai Canyon Starry Sky Campsite opens a midsummer carnival with beer, barbecue, lobsters, camping, music and more. The camping base covers an area of 147 mu (about 9.8 hectares), including homestay inns, RV parking lots, outdoor campsites, parent-child leisure and entertainment venues. Here you can not only overlook the Aizhai Bridge, eat barbecue, live in tents, but also experience paragliding and other projects.
In order to enrich the summer experience of tourists, the Aizhai Canyon Starry Sky Campsite has prepared a series of summer leisure activities such as the beer and music festival, summer camp, so that tourists can enjoy the beautiful scenery and have great fun. According to statistics, the campsite received about 165,000 tourists and achieved tourism income of more than 4 million yuan in the first half of this year. Since July, the scenic area has received an average of about 15,000 visitors a day.
Average revenue of hotels increases
“The scenery on the road here is really stunning. This time, I plan to stay in Wulingyuan for two days to enjoy the rare coolness in summer.” On the afternoon of July 28, a tour bus slowly entered, and Li Wei, who just got off the bus, bluntly said that the visit was very worthwhile.
Nestling in the Wulingyuan mountain area, the homestay inn “Home in the Distance” highlights local characteristics, and integrates folk culture with the leisure homestay inn, and rural wild interests with modern services. The current room occupancy rate is more than 85%, with most tourists from South Korea and Guangdong Province . Most tourists come here with their children to enjoy the cool mountain climate and the unique wonders of Wulingyuan.
In addition to homestay inns, hotels in Changsha Wuyi Square are also popular with tourists. Since July, the Meinian 21° hotel’s reception has increased significantly, with the occupancy rate more than 98%. “The guest rooms are full every day. Although the hotel has lowered the prices of suites and business rooms, there are still not enough rooms”, said a hotel staff.
According to the statistics of Hunan Tourist Hotel Association, the average total revenue of hotels in Hunan Province in the first half of 2023 increased by 44% compared with that of the same period of 2022, recovering to 85% of 2019, of which the main business room revenue increased by 75% compared with 2022, recovering to 93% of 2019.
