Changsha saw a 39.3% year-on-year increase in inbound tourist visits from January to May this year, with total spending rising by 38.81%, according to the Changsha Inbound Tourism Promotion Conference held on June 9.
"Our clients are mainly high-level tour groups from South Korea. Since last year, the number of tourists from Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan has increased significantly," said a manager of the Meixi Lake Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Changsha. The manager added that, the hotel will collaborate with Zhangjiajie to design a 'Hunan Golden Corridor' route, integrating premium tourism resources to transform Changsha from an 'entry point' into a 'destination.'"
With over two decades of experience in inbound tourism, the Hunan Everbright International Travel Service has expanded its overseas market offerings from simple sightseeing tours to speical tours centered around certain themes such as sports. In the next step, the company plans to attract the tourists entering through the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao regions to Changsha, actively increasing the flow of international visitors.
During the conference, the Changsha Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio, and Television signed a cooperation agreement with the Foreign Studies College of Hunan Normal University to strengthen professional talent training, striving to create a more favorable language environment for inbound tourism. Currently, Changsha has 587 certified foreign language tour guides. As inbound tourism heats up, the number of such certified guides is expected to exceed 700 by the end of this year.
This year, Changsha has successively issued policies such as the 2025 Changsha Inbound Tourism Promotion Work Plan and the Measures to Promote the Development of Inbound Tourism in Changsha. Efforts have also been made to continuously improve the quality of inbound tourism services, including early baggage inspection for inbound travelers, setting up a comprehensive service center for foreigners at the Huanghua International Airport, and establishing a task force to facilitate payment services in the cultural tourism sector. These measures aim to comprehensively expand the inbound tourism market.