Recently, M&D Institute officially released the July 2026 Report on Tourism Communication of Counties and Urban Districts in China. Driven by the booming national summer-vacation tourism consumption season, Huaihua’s cultural-tourism brands have kept growing in external communication influence. Hongjiang City, Zhongfang County and Chenxi County have secured spots on the National Top 100 List for County-level Tourism Communication, demonstrating strong momentum for local cultural-tourism development.
On the Top 100 List of Counties with Growth Potential in Tourism Communication, Hongjiang City delivered an outstanding performance, ranking 22nd nationwide. This fully reflects that its recent cultural-tourism events and topics have drawn tremendous social-media attention. In a fast-growing phase, Hongjiang has emerged as a dark horse of Huaihua’s cultural-tourism sector.
Notably, Zhongfang County and Chenxi County are new entrants to the rankings this month. Zhongfang County ranks 38th nationwide on the Top 100 List of Counties for Comprehensive Strength in Tourism Communication, while Chenxi County claims the 84th spot on the Top 100 List of Counties with Growth Potential. Their joint inclusion marks remarkable phased progress Huaihua has made in differentiated county-level cultural-tourism supply and targeted summer-season marketing.
According to the M&D Institute report, July ushered in the peak summer-tourism season across China, with surging popularity for summer-escape tours, study tours and folk-custom festival travel, alongside amplified concentration among leading destinations. Huaihua’s multiple jurisdictions made the list thanks to pre-emptive summer-node marketing strategies and in depth tapping of local cultural heritage.
In recent years, building on its cultural-tourism brand “Blessed Land Huaihua”, Huaihua has advanced in-depth integration of culture and tourism. From the ancient-city culture of Hongjiang City, Jingping Ancient Village in Zhongfang County, to the eco-cultural tourism of Chenxi County, local areas are adopting the model of “intangible cultural heritage plus trendy cultural-tourism products”. They create immersive consumption scenarios and convert multi-dimensional communication influence into tangible on-site visitor flows.
As the summer vacation draws to a close, riding on the momentum from these rankings, Huaihua’s cultural-tourism industry will further explore local culture, polish distinctive county-level cultural-tourism brands, and elevate the development of the Greater Zhangjiajie International Tourism Area to new heights.
(Translated by Tian Xia)