The three-day 2024 Changsha Inbound Tourism Matchmaking Event themed "World Travelers Exploring the Star City" was held between May 11 and 13. Nearly 100 overseas guests toured the city of Changsha. (Photo provided by the Changsha Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio and Television)

"I love Changsha!" a travel blogger from the UK said with emotion after she had an immersive experience along Changsha's recommended travel routes.

The 2024 Changsha Inbound Tourism Matchmaking Event was held between May 11 and 13, with the theme of "World Travelers Exploring the Star City." Nearly 100 overseas guests carried out three days of exchange activities in Changsha. This remarkable event marked the largest group of professional travel agents from abroad ever hosted by a city in China.

Boasting such titles as an "East Asia Cultural City" and a "City of Media Arts" in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Changsha has been in the spotlight for overseas travelers. It has been vigorously optimizing services and marketing to explore the overseas tourism market, striving to become a globally influential tourism destination.

"We've been spoiled by the friendly people of Changsha."

Nearly 100 product developers, sales representatives, and overseas culture and tourism marketing personnel working in 59 overseas travel agencies from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and other countries participated in the three-day exchange activities in Changsha.

Seizing the resumption of the Changsha-London direct air route, the event organizers invited some national-level leading tourism enterprises in Europe and the UK to Hunan. Through the exchange activities, they would get a better understanding of Changsha, jointly enhancing Changsha's inbound tourism and making concerted efforts to develop the cultural and travel routes with Changsha characteristics and international competitiveness.

The guests attended a Changsha culture and tourism promotion meeting and a Changsha inbound tourism matchmaking event, and an interactive exhibition of Changsha's intangible cultural heritages. Also, they visited the Hunan Museum, Changsha Wenheyou Restaurant, Orange Isle, and Yuelu Academy, experiencing Changsha's quality travel routes.

At the interactive exhibition, intangible cultural heritage items including Hunan embroidery, Tongguan porcelain-firing techniques, Changsha palm-leaf weaving, Liuyang xiabu plant-fiber cloth, Changsha dough modelling, cloisonné enamel craft, and Changsha paper cutting, all of which demonstrated the unique charm of Huxiang culture.

One UK travel blogger was very interested in palm-leaf weaving. She tried her hand at making a fish with palm leaves, and received a palm-leaf weaving flower as a gift. "It is very interesting. I will bring it home," she said.

The guests cruised along the Xiang River at night, enjoying a magnificent light show along the riverbanks as well as wonderful band performances on the cruise ship. "Changsha people are so friendly that we have been spoiled," a traveler from New Zealand said, adding that "I've never seen such fantastic buildings and light shows. This is a vibrant city!"

Changsha's food also impressed the guests deeply. A UK traveler said that she was impressed by the delicious food and the brightly-lit night fairs. Changsha's night life is fun and exciting, said the UK blogger. "I tried crayfish! It's amazing," she said.

Changsha's night life is impressive.

This event is Changsha's highest-level cultural tourism promotion activity held in recent years, with the widest range of participants attending from different countries.

Why did such a high-level delegation choose Changsha for their investigation tour? Wendy Wu, founder of the WendyWu Tours, noted that the resumption of the Changsha-London direct flights created an opportunity for this event. As a domestic internet-influential city that boasts marvelous night life, Changsha is a worthwhile experience for overseas tourists, she said.

"Changsha is a friendly and warm city with a profound culture and rich delicacies," said Kathryn Davis, director of tourism at Visit West of the UK and board member of UKinbound. She talked about the resemblances between Changsha and Bristol in the UK, and looked forward to more cooperation between the two cities.

Zhang Li, director of the China National Tourist Office in London, spoke highly of Changsha's various cultural and tourism promotions in the UK in recent years, especially the establishment of a tourism cooperation relationship between Changsha and Bristol.

Convenient payment services facilitate foreigners' tours.

Changsha's tourism services have steadily improved. With a convenient transportation network, Changsha has realized seamless transfers within the city. The capacity of hotel businesses has dovetailed with international standards, while the services of travel agencies have taken the lead domestically. The urban basic public service facilities have been further improved. Statistics show that in the first quarter of this year, the number of inbound visits to Changsha and the foreign exchange earnings from inbound tourism increased by 506.1% and 736.25% respectively.

This year, Changsha has improved payment services, focusing on catering, accommodation, travel, shopping, entertainment, healthcare, study and other crucial scenarios. Higher-quality and more effective and more convenient payment services are provided for foreign visitors to facilitate their Changsha tours.

Meanwhile, Changsha has carried out tourism promotions in Japan, South Korea, Europe, and other direct-flight destinations around the world, enhancing the influence and popularity of Changsha's cultural tourism. During the May Day holiday, Changsha's cultural and tourism authority publicized a Changsha Travel Guide in both Chinese and English, to help tourists explore the city.