On the morning of April 29, the launch ceremony of serial events for the "Riding the Tide in Xiaoxiang: Welcome to Hunan" 2026 Hunan Spring Cultural and Tourism Consumption Season were held at the Chaxiang Flower Sea Scenic Area in Anhua County, Yiyang City. During the event, the province will host over 1,000 cultural and tourism activities and distribute more than five million CNY in consumer vouchers, inviting tourists to join a spring gathering brimming with China-chic trends and athletic vitality. 

Approximately 200 participants from cultural and tourism departments, enterprises, industry associations, travel agencies, and OTA platforms across the province attended the event. At the venue, Anhua County was awarded the title of "Tea Experience Base for Inbound Tourism," and a cross-regional cooperation agreement for tea and cultural tourism was signed.

This consumption season adopts a "1+3+N" model. "1" refers to the launch ceremony at the main venue in Anhua County; "3" encompasses three major themed events: the Anhua Tea-Tourism Integration Development Promotion and Exchange Conference, the Spring Market and Garden Party, and the Outdoor Leisure Sports Season; and "N" represents over a thousand supporting events simultaneously held across 13 cities and one prefecture in the province, creating a province-wide cultural and tourism consumption boom.

The launch ceremony was rich in local tea-village charm and innovative elements. During the "Spring Confession from Anhua" flash mob event, the "Anhua Dark Tea Team"—comprising 12 tea ambassadors, tea artisans, and Meishan folk performers—made a stunning debut. Through a tea garden fashion show, tea art performances, and engaging skits, the team delivered an immersive experience to the audiences.

Following the launch ceremony, guests toured the Spring Market. The market featured exhibition and sales areas showcasing Hunan's distinctive cultural and tourism products, Yiyang's local delicacies, and Anhua's agricultural specialties, as well as four themed experience zones: tea and zen culture, high-altitude tea gardens, outdoor camping, and intangible cultural heritage items and folk customs. The market moved beyond traditional exhibition and sales models by integrating display, experience, and consumption.

Anhua, known as the "hometown of Chinese dark tea," is also home to dark tea production techniques inscribed on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. In 2025, Anhua received over 13 million tourist trips, with total tourism revenue reaching 10.5 billion CNY, and the influence of the "Take a Short Break - Soak in Anhua" brand continues to grow. This event represents a key initiative for Anhua to deepen the integration of "tea, tourism, culture, sports, and wellness" and establish a new provincial benchmark for tea-tourism integration.

During the consumption season, Anhua will concurrently launch the "Tea-Tourism Outdoor Leisure Sports Season," hosting tea-tourism hiking challenges at scenic spots such as the Ancient Tea Horse Road and Yuntai Mountain. It will also collaborate with the self-drive camping association to introduce "self-drive + camping + tea experience" packages to attract younger visitors.

The launch of the consumption season represents a significant initiative to boost consumption and promote high-quality development in the cultural and tourism industry. Through government guidance, corporate collaboration, and public participation, the event will further drive the transformation of cultural and tourism consumption from sightseeing to immersive experiences, making cultural and tourism consumption a new engine for economic growth.

Hunan will host a variety of cultural and tourism events during the May Day holiday. Changsha will host multiple concerts, a hamburger festival, a Hanfu festival, and other events; Yiyang will launch activities themed tea house culture and birds; and Xiangtan will stage the Wanlou Youth Pier Carnival and immersive theatrical performances. The province has planned over 1,000 cultural and tourism events in total, covering diverse scenarios including performing arts, intangible cultural heritage, cuisine, sports, study tours, and markets.

To enable the public to share in the benefits of development, the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism has partnered with major platforms and associations to launch unprecedented public welfare policies, with plans to distribute over five million CNY in cultural and tourism consumption vouchers across the province. Meituan has launched the "Floral Travel" campaign, offering high-value voucher packages for long-distance group tours, short trips, and other travel options. Didi has rolled out travel discount coupons in multiple cities including Changsha and Changde; and Wanda Commercial Management Group has introduced a promotion event that allows visitors to enjoy over 300 benefits across 15 Wanda Plazas in 12 cities with a single ticket stub. Additionally, over 1,000 scenic spots, hotels, and merchants across the province will participate in these discount initiatives.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunantoday