2026 Chenzhou Tourism Development Conference to Kick off on September 15

Immerse yourself in the travel photography base along the Dongjiang Lake, experience the Dongjiang Lake Tsingtao Beer Festival carnival, and tap into investment opportunities in key industrial chains... From September 15 to 17, the 2026 Chenzhou Tourism Development Conference and the Investment Promotion Conference will be held in Zixing City, with the theme of "A Scroll of Landscape-Meet in Chenzhou; Oriental Water City-Poetic Zixing."

On August 20, the press conference for the 2026 Chenzhou Tourism Development Conference and the Investment Promotion Conference is held on a cruise ship in Zixing City.

On August 20, Chenzhou held a press conference on a cruise ship in Zixing City, inviting guests and media outlets to discuss preparations of the 2026 Chenzhou Tourism Development Conference while enjoying the poetic scenery of the Dongjiang Lake. It was learned at the press conference that the event features four core activities: an investment promotion conference, project site visits , the opening ceremony of the Chenzhou Tourism Development Conference and Dongjiang Lake Tsingtao Beer Festival, and a meeting on promoting high-quality development of all-for-one tourism. Concurrently, cultural activities such as Xinjiang song and dance exchanges, intangible cultural heritage and opera performances, and mass cultural performances will be held, all open to tourists and residents free of charge.

Leveraging its ecological advantages, Zixing City has in recent years continued to develop a scenic route connecting "one lake, two bays, and three mountains"—Dongjiang Lake, Dongjiang Bay, Liuhua Bay, Huilong Mountain, Bamian Mountain, and Tian'e Mountain. The city has launched multiple premium tourist itineraries, linking attractions into a chain and driving coordinated development across the entire region. It has fostered emerging business forms such as water-based summer retreats, wellness vacation tours, cultural and creative travel photography services, low-altitude sightseeing flights, and nighttime sightseeing and night markets. In 2025, the city received over 12.9 million tourist visits, with tourism revenue exceeding 13.5 billion CNY.

The conference focuses on revitalizing idle resources. Through "minor renovations and refined upgrades," the abandoned pump house at Dongjiang Bay and idle old houses and dilapidated factory buildings along the lakefront will be transformed into a floating music island, an arts and crafts street, and retro restaurants, breathing new life into these idle assets. Focusing on addressing the public's aspirations, Zixing will take the conference as an opportunity to simultaneously advance livelihood projects such as urban and rural landscape renovations, tourism road upgrades, and public facility enhancements.

The conference also adheres to a market-oriented approach, actively attracting social capital. Ten key cultural and tourism projects have been planned, with a total investment of approximately 450 million CNY, including 385 million CNY, or 85%, of social capital. The opening ceremony gala, night market consumption, and supporting exhibitions will be all operated in conjunction with market entities, building a sustainable cultural and tourism operation model.

Taking the hosting of the 2026 Chenzhou Tourism Development Conference as an opportunity, Zixing will follow the development philosophy of "connecting attractions, expanding business forms, and enhancing quality." The city will continuously enrich cultural and tourism offerings and upgrade travel experience, driving a shift from single scenic sightseeing to diverse cultural immersion experiences. The city is committed to further enhancing its cultural and tourism brand of "Oriental Water City-Poetic Zixing," striving to prioritize ecology, empower development through cultural tourism, and promote green development that benefits local people.

At the press conference, the event mascots—"Shui Bao Bao" and "Wu Meng Meng"—were officially unveiled. Embodying the clarity of water and the ethereal quality of mist, the two lively figures capture the dual essence of Dongjiang Lake, offering visitors a unique cultural and tourism calling card that reflects the poetic landscapes of Zixing.

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

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Chinanews