Changsha has ushered in a tourism boom as the summer vacation arrives. The city's cultural tourism market also delivered satisfying results in the first half of 2024.

In the January-June period, the number of tourist arrivals in Changsha increased by 8.64% year on year, with tourism revenue registering a 4.49% year-on-year increase, according to a recent brief on the city's tourism data published by Ctrip.

The Window on the World is thronged with tourists. (File photo)

According to the brief, Changsha ranked 11th among popular domestic tourism destinations in the first half of the year, the same as in 2023. From January to June this year, Du Fu Pavilion, Changsha Window on the World, Changsha Dongqu (Animal Fun) Kingdom, Tongguan Kiln Ancient Town China-chic Paradise, and Orange Isle hit the top 5 scenic spots in Hunan in terms of search volume. Among them, tourists visiting Du Fu Pavilion accounted for 76.3% of Changsha's total tourist arrivals; Changsha Window on the World 4.9%; Changsha Dongqu Kingdom 4.2%; Tongguan Kiln Ancient Town China-chic Paradise 3.0%; and, Orange Isle 2.4%.

The brief showed that, in the first half of 2024, the top five popular tourist sources for Changsha are Hunan, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Beijing and Shanghai, with tourists from Hunan making up the largest proportion at 32.1%.

In the first half of 2024, the number of visits by consumers for vacation tourism products in Changsha grew by 15.06% year on year, resulting in a year-on-year growth of 38.63% in revenue. Meanwhile, consumer visits for air ticket products, recreational tourism products, and hotel products in Changsha surged by 24.97%, 27.98%, and 10.08%, with the revenue up 20.58%, 18.80%, and 4.93%, respectively. Additionally, the number of visits by consumers for admission ticket products in Changsha increased by 46.44%.

A view of the Changsha Fantawild Oriental Heritage Theme Park. (File photo)