CHANGSHA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) — For his first journey to China, Park Jun-min from the Republic of Korea (ROK) headed straight to Zhangjiajie, the “Avatar” metropolis identified worldwide for its dreamlike panorama.
“It is incredible! I thought I was prepared after seeing photos and videos, but being here in person, surrounded by soaring peaks and mist-shrouded cliffs, felt like stepping into a wonderland,” Park marveled whereas visiting the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
Nestled within the mountainous northwest of central China’s Hunan Province, Zhangjiajie is a famend vacationer metropolis and the real-life inspiration for the floating mountains within the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar. Though landlocked and much from China’s borders, it has risen as a preferred gateway for worldwide vacationers, spurred by China’s expanded visa-free entry and eased transit insurance policies.
Walking via the bustling streets of Zhangjiajie, guests can hear languages from world wide. Korean barbecue eating places, Japanese eateries and Western-style cafes line the sidewalks, whereas indicators in a number of languages seem in points of interest and inns. At native markets, even stall homeowners have picked up a couple of overseas phrases to welcome worldwide prospects.
In the primary seven months of 2025, the town obtained 722,000 worldwide guests, who spent a complete of 380 million U.S. {dollars}, representing year-on-year will increase of 14.2 % and 16.4 %, respectively. Despite a everlasting inhabitants of fewer than 1.5 million, greater than 300,000 persons are employed in tourism-related sectors throughout peak intervals.
Among Zhangjiajie’s inbound guests, vacationers from the ROK are notably quite a few. For a very long time, the nation has been the town’s largest supply of overseas vacationers.
In July, comic Kim Won-hyo was appointed as a promotional ambassador for a scenic space in Zhangjiajie. Local authorities stated they intend to faucet into the affect of Kim and different Korean public figures to additional develop the tourism market from the ROK and deepen cultural and tourism exchanges between the 2 nations.
Having visited Zhangjiajie a number of occasions, Kim has witnessed a change within the metropolis’s guests. “Young Koreans used to send their parents to the city as a sign of filial piety. But on my recent trips, I’ve been delighted to see more young Koreans visiting the scenic spots themselves,” Kim stated.
Zhangjiajie now attracts guests from effectively past the ROK. In 2024, the town welcomed vacationers from 183 nations and areas, 50 greater than its earlier report. Emerging markets akin to Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Europe, the United States and the Middle East are contributing to its rising worldwide enchantment.
“Each quartzite sandstone peak rises like a pillar, one after another,” stated Liu Yang, deputy secretary-general of the Zhangjiajie tourism affiliation.
He famous that the town’s distinctive, fairyland-like surroundings embodies the poetic landscapes many foreigners think about once they consider China. With an increasing vary of tourism merchandise and improved companies lately, even this small inland metropolis can now provide worldwide guests a rewarding journey expertise.
At an area memento store, Filipino customer Ezekiel Santos paid with GCash, a cell pockets from his dwelling nation. “I used to exchange currency at a bank before traveling abroad. But now in China, I can simply scan and pay with the same app I use at home. It is fast, convenient, and the exchange rate is favorable,” he stated.
In latest years, Hunan Province has rolled out a sequence of insurance policies to make journey simpler for inbound guests, protecting entry procedures, funds, transportation and procuring. In January 2025, 18 provincial departments collectively issued 12 measures to additional increase inbound tourism and guarantee a smoother, extra satisfying expertise for worldwide vacationers.
“The steady rise in inbound tourism has pushed us to raise the bar in areas such as infrastructure, service quality, and talent development,” stated Tian Hongman, deputy director of Zhangjiajie’s bureau of tradition, tourism, broadcasting, and sports activities.
“Zhangjiajie is embracing the world with greater professionalism and openness, and we hope every visitor can feel at home here,” Tian added.