According to the data from Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, affected by the epidemic and weather, the 855 monitored units in the province received a total of more than 1.7 million tourists during the three-day New Year’s Day holiday, a year-on-year decrease of 34.24 percent, and the operating revenue exceeded 184 million yuan, down 27.59 percent year on year. 

Hunan went viral during the three-day holiday. All scenic areas in Zhangjiajie (excluding scenic vehicles) provided free tickets for tourists, and the passenger flow increased significantly compared with that before the holiday. 

Wulingyuan Core Scenic Area received 7,233 tourists, with a year-on-year growth of 48.55 percent. Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area received 10,726 tourists, up 66.6 percent year on year.  

A song titled “Good Morning, Longhui” created by Yuan Shuxiong, a Longhui singer, has become an online sensation, with over 20 billion views. So Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism took the big hit as inspiration to produce the first mobile video message of Hunan culture and tourism in the new year. During the three-day holiday, the message was sent to tourists visiting Hunan in 2023.

Data from LY.com show that Changsha was one of the most popular destinations during the New Year’s Day holiday in 2023 in China. Changsha’s Wuyi Square became the most popular business circle to celebrate New Year’s Eve. A firework party was held to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Liuyang City.

Statistics from Ctrip show that Changsha was one of China’s top 10 popular cities where people celebrated New Year’s Eve. 

According to Qunar.com, the number of hotel bookings during the three-day holiday grew significantly, with a daily increase of more than 20 percent. Changsha became one of the top 10 cities for hotel bookings.

According to the data from Tianxin District of Changsha City, the number of people in Wuyi Square Business District exceeded 1.3 million from December 31, 2022 to January 1, 2023.

In addition, 34 percent of intra-provincial travel bookings and 66 percent of trans-provincial ones were made during the holiday. The top 10 tourist attractions were Changsha Window of the World, Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, the Ancient Town of Tongguan Kiln, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, HB (Changsha) Film Town, the Orange Isle, Changsha Dongqu Kingdom, Qianzhou Ancient Town, Gaoyi Ridge Tourist Area and Yueyang Tower Scenic Area. 

The local cultural and tourism departments across the province stepped up efforts to launch preferential measures. For example, tourist attractions including Dehang Grand Canyon Scenic Area, Hanshou Wildlife Park and the Jiuxian Lake Scenic Area provided free tickets or preferential discounts for tourists. Chuanyan Mountain Forest Park and Simeng Wetland Park tourist line were popular among tourists. These preferential measures further activated the cultural and tourism consumption market.  

Furthermore, a series of online and offline cultural tourism activities were held during the holiday. For example, Changsha City held a series of cultural tourism activities. Zhangjiajie held the 2023 National New Year Mountaineering Festival. The rime festival kicked off in Yangming Mountain Scenic Area of Yongzhou City. Colorful folk culture activities were launched in Zhang Guying Scenic Area, Shiniu Village and other tourist attractions.