Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: 2025 Inbound Tourism Boom & The Secrets Behind Its Global Appeal

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, a masterpiece of nature’s craftsmanship, is becoming an increasingly prominent landmark on the world tourism map. From January to October 2025, this magnificent landscape welcomed 1.1298 million inbound tourists, including 820,100 ticketed visitors, marking a year-on-year increase of 24.70%. Its source markets span 179 countries and regions worldwide. Against the backdrop of total visitor numbers roughly matching the historical peak, the strong growth in inbound tourism has emerged as a striking highlight, like a surge cutting through a calm lake.

"I used to want to help foreign tourists but didn’t dare speak up, fearing I’d make mistakes," admitted Zhang Jufang, a staff member at the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park ticket office. This sense of helplessness was once a weakness in the scenic area’s international services. Today, standing at the ticket window, she can fluently guide visitors through ticket purchases in English. This transformation began with a language initiative called the "Jinbian Stream Night School." In July this year, the scenic area invited foreign language teachers from Jishou University to provide intensive English and Korean training for frontline staff. Classes were held by the Jinbian Stream after tourists had left, helping employees shift from "afraid to speak, fearing mistakes" to "courageous to open up, skilled at guiding." "We’re not just learning words; we’re gaining the courage to break cultural barriers," said an environmental protection vehicle driver who participated in the training. Meanwhile, a comprehensive trilingual signage system (Chinese, English, Korean) has quietly been rolled out across the entire scenic area. From maps and transportation guides to safety warnings and cultural explanations, even visitors who don’t understand Chinese at all can easily "decode" the 3,000 towering peaks. A French tourist shared on social media: "The guidance here is surprisingly clear – I even learned the love legend behind 'Couple Rock' through the signs." With language barriers overcome, payment issues were next. At core attractions like the Bailong Elevator and Tianzi Mountain Cableway, the signs at payment windows have subtly changed: alongside cash, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and UnionPay, VISA, Mastercard, and other international credit card logos are prominently displayed. The scenic area fully supports international card binding for mobile payments, allowing overseas tourists to enjoy the same payment convenience as Chinese visitors. "This solved our biggest hassle," said an Italian backpacker. "I don’t need to exchange a lot of cash in advance – I can scan QR codes like a local to take cable cars or buy souvenirs. It feels amazing." Behind this is Zhangjiajie’s systematic efforts as one of China’s first key cities for optimizing payment services, truly achieving a service upgrade from "being accessible" to "having a great time."

Beyond its breathtaking scenery, what else can keep visitors coming back? Zhangjiajie’s answer is: warm services and perceptible culture. "The staff here seem to 'transform'!" A South Korean tourist shared his surprise on social media: the tour guide who enthusiastically introduced Tujia legends to him quickly turned to pick up a small piece of garbage on the road and provided initial assistance to an unwell visitor within minutes. This is the scenic area’s innovative "Five-in-One Service Model" – every staff member acts as a cleaner, tour guide, promoter, safety officer, and rescuer. Along Jinbian Stream, Lao Li, a cleaner, no longer limits his work to sweeping. He carries a small speaker, greets passing foreign tourists with self-learned foreign words, and constantly keeps an eye on visitors’ safety. "I’m now the 'housekeeper' of this scenery," he said with a smile. "I need to keep it clean and make guests feel at ease." The warmth of service is even more evident in the little details. During the "National Day Golden Week" this year, on chilly mornings with sudden temperature drops, the scenic area launched a "Warm Guest Hearts with a Cup of Ginger Tea" service at major entrances. Staff handed out steaming cups of ginger tea to tourists from around the world, instantly dispelling the mountain chill. A Malaysian tourist was touched and said: "This tea warms my hands, and more importantly, my heart. Zhangjiajie’s mountains and rivers are cool, but the human kindness here is warm." Culture gives natural scenery a soul. During holidays this year, Zhangjiajie transformed into a "Living Intangible Cultural Heritage Garden," where the boldness of Tujia Baishou Dance, the joy of Tujia Bamboo Pole Dance, and the melody of Huadeng Opera were staged alternately among the peaks and sea of clouds. At Huangshizhai Square, Mark from the United States excitedly joined the Baishou Dance at the invitation of an intangible cultural heritage inheritor. "This is so cool!" he exclaimed. "I originally came just to see the mountains, but unexpectedly became part of their culture." These activities are not just simple additions. Through careful design, the scenic area has turned intangible cultural heritage from static "exhibits" into participatory, memorable "travel stories" for visitors, creating a wonderful chemical reaction between the beauty of mountains and rivers and the charm of human culture.

A short video titled "Foreigners Doing 'Zombie Dance' in Zhangjiajie" quietly went viral across the internet in September this year. This seemingly casual tourist selfie garnered over 10 million cumulative views on platforms like WeChat Channels, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu, becoming an unexpected hit for the scenic area. In the video, several foreign young people imitated classic "zombie" moves on the viewing platform of Yuanjiajie, with mist-shrouded jagged stone peaks in the background. This collision and contrast of cultures created a fascinating communication effect. The scenic area has also continued to leverage the global influence of the "Avatar" film series, through precise positioning as the "prototype of the floating mountains," closely linking the fantasy scenes in the movies with Zhangjiajie’s real peaks. This has attracted global fans to "check in" and verify, further boosting its international popularity. This is just the tip of the iceberg of Zhangjiajie’s smart marketing. The scenic area systematically launched the "1,000 Live Streams of 3,000 Peaks" event, broadcasting Zhangjiajie’s real scenery and extreme sports to domestic and foreign platforms such as Douyin, TikTok, and Instagram through the lenses of domestic and international live-streaming influencers, forming a powerful new media communication matrix. More impactful content comes from extreme sports events. Extreme swing rope near the Bailong Elevator and high-altitude slackline competitions at the top of Huangshizhai – these visually stunning international events not only attract top athletes from around the world but also create sustained global communication hotspots. When athletes walk and jump between hundreds-of-meters-high peaks, Zhangjiajie’s image becomes closely associated with words like "bravery," "challenge," and "extraordinary," leaving a deep impression on global audiences.

Faced with impressive results, the Administrative Bureau of Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area and National Forest Park stated that the "2025 Zhangjiajie Tourism Development Incentive Implementation Plan" and the "240-hour Transit Visa Exemption" policy have provided key support for the recovery of inbound tourism. "However, to convert policy dividends into lasting momentum, the core lies in strengthening our internal capabilities," the bureau emphasized. Next, the scenic area will promote a shift in source market structure from "wide coverage" to "in-depth cultivation," launching high-end products such as hiking and geological study tours targeting the European and American long-haul markets. It will also deepen the integration of the "Five-in-One Service Model" with digital technology to build a full-cycle service system. Through international events, festivals, and intangible cultural heritage stages, Zhangjiajie aims to become a hub for Sino-foreign cultural exchange, transforming this masterpiece of nature into a world-class destination that global tourists "must visit once in a lifetime and want to return to again and again."