How will Huaihua’s leather goods and luggage industry forge innovative development in 2026? At the 2025 Annual Conference of Huaihua Luggage & Leather Goods Industry Association, representatives across the city gathered to conduct in-depth discussions on the industry’s future development path.
Since May 2023, leveraging the comprehensive advantages of the Huaihua International Inland Port in customs clearance, logistics, and human resources, the leather goods and luggage industry has stepped on the acceleration drive of development. In just over two years, the industry has achieved a zero breakthrough from 2023 to the current 100 enterprises and a leap from a single sector to full industrial chain, realizing the transformation from promise to prominence.
Up to now, a total of 191 projects have been introduced with a total investment of 13.3 billion yuan; the number of enterprises in the industrial chain has reached 200, including 40 above designated size, with the total output value exceeding 6 billion yuan; the cumulative value of foreign trade exports has hit 1 billion yuan, with products sold well in the US, European countries, ASEAN countries, Japan, and South Korea. A full industrial chain covering the upstream, midstream and downstream—from finished product manufacturing to the production of key components such as pull rods, wheels and zippers, and then to foreign trade e-commerce supporting services—has taken solid shape.
These achievements bear the indelible marks of the entrepreneurs’ pursuit of excellence and pioneering spirit. Looking ahead, the construction of Huaihua as an international hub of bags and luggage is moving from a grand blueprint to a new stage of rapid growth.
Regarding the future, enterprise representatives have expressed their commitment to accelerating industrial integration and exploring new blue oceans for development. They hold the view that luggage and leather goods are evolving from mere practical items into fashionable products, cultural and creative works, and tourist souvenirs. The integration model of “luggage + cultural tourism” and “luggage + cultural creativity” can greatly expand the industrial boundaries and enhance product added value.
Peng Chun, president of Huaihua Luggage & Leather Goods Industry Association, has a clear vision for the characteristic development path: “Huaihua’s rich ethnic culture and tourism resources have injected a unique cultural IP and contents into the luggage industry, which constitutes our distinctive advantages over other traditional luggage manufacturing bases.”
“Therefore, it is crucial to promote the integrated development and expand industrial boundaries,” he further elaborated. Going forward, the focus will be on exploring ways to advance the in-depth integration of luggage industry and cultural tourism, actively connecting with cultural and tourism authorities, and incorporating luggage industrial parks and characteristic enterprises into Huaihua’s premium tourist routes.
“We will take the opportunity of large-scale luggage exhibitions and sales events to effectively channel the popularity of Huaihua’s cultural tourism to the luggage industry, making the luggage industry a new calling card of the city.”
It is reported that the association will make great efforts to guide enterprises to develop customized travel luggage and casual bags featuring scenic spot characteristics and ethnic styles, and set up brand display and sales outlets in major scenic areas, high-speed railway stations and hotels. By leveraging platforms such as tourism development conferences and various cultural and tourism festivals, themed exhibition areas for Huaihua Luggage will be established to realize the goal of boosting industries through culture and showcasing culture through industries.
Reporters have noticed that besides characteristic development, digital and intelligent upgrading has also attracted much attention. Centering on the theme of empowering industries with digital and intelligent technologies to improve operational efficiency, entrepreneurs have proposed to actively carry out intelligent and automated transformation of production equipment; explore the establishment of an industrial internet platform or supply chain collaboration platform to achieve information sharing of orders, production capacity and materials, and reduce collaboration costs; vigorously develop industrial e-commerce and promote the online transformation of procurement and sales.
A sound industrial ecosystem is the fundamental guarantee for retaining and attracting enterprises. Representatives attending the conference stated that they will focus on the systematic project of ecological optimization to enhance the attractiveness of the industrial cluster.
In the new round of development, they will draw a detailed map of the luggage industrial chain, accurately identify key missing links such as zippers, hardware, fabrics, sponges and packaging, carry out targeted investment promotion, strengthen the industrial chain by filling the gaps, and raise the local supporting rate.
“We will vigorously support the growth of local supporting enterprises and strive to increase the local supporting rate of core raw and auxiliary materials to over 60% within two years, building a safe, efficient and resilient local supply chain network,” Peng Chun commented. In his opinion, an increasingly robust luggage and leather goods industrial chain is accelerating its formation in Huaihua.
(Translated by Yang Hong)