Despite overcast and rainy weather during the Qingming Festival holiday, Changsha's cultural tourism continued to boom. According to the provincial cultural tourism industry statistics monitoring system, the city's 30 scenic spots received more than 390,000 tourist visits during the three-day holiday, with the cumulative tourism revenue hitting more than 7.55 million yuan. In particular, tourist trips made at 19 museums, libraries, and cultural centers in the city exceeded 100,000.

Changsha was favored by tourists from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area during this year's holiday. Many tourists from Guangdong and Hong Kong traveled northward to Changsha, making the city almost a "Cantonese neighborhood". A steady drizzle added a romantic ambiance for a leisurely walk around Changsha. Holding umbrellas over their heads, many people ventured onto the Orange Isle, enjoyed the picturesque views along the Xiangjiang River, and admired blooming cherry blossoms and camellias. On the Yuelu Mountain, tourists were seen climbing the mountain in the rain to pay tribute to revolutionary martyrs. The Hunan Botanical Garden welcomed more than 11,000 visits on April 5 alone as tulips and cherry blossoms have burst into full bloom.

"With its convenient transportation and diverse amusement facilities, Changsha has become many Hong Kong people's preferred place for leisure and recreation," said Li Zaixing, general manager of the Southeast Asia division of Hunan Zhongtie International Travel Service Inbound Tourism Center. He added that, the travel agency received more than 800 Hong Kong tourists during the Qingming Festival holiday, and nearly 60% of them were young people. In addition to Changsha, many tourists also planned to visit Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang and other places.

According to the monitoring system, Changsha's top three favorite tourist attractions were Orange Isle (181,495 visits), Lushan Scenic Area (32,183 visits), and Changsha Museum (29,921 visits).

This year, the Changsha Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio and Television will continue to carry out marketing and promotion activities; enhance connectivity with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Economic Belt; launch high-quality tourism routes and products; promote regional resource sharing, exchange tourist sources, and complement each other's advantages; strengthen cultural tourism exchanges and cooperation with foreign countries; and, expand the city's international "circle of friends", so as to achieve breakthroughs in inbound tourism.

A China-chic paradise at Tongguan Kiln Ancient Town.