Over 5m tourists visit Wudang following promotional campaign

A total of five million tourists visited Wudang Mountains in Shiyan city, Hubei province in 2013 - a year on year increase of 25 percent - generating tourism revenue of 2.5 billion yuan ($413.3 million), an increase of 19 percent, wudangshan.gov.cn reported on Jan 24. Wudang Mountains is becoming increasingly well-known as a tourist destination, and it was named the “most beautiful national geological park of China”.

The site is now attracting visitors from all over the world, and has held promotional events overseas, including in North America, Australia, Southeast Asia, and Eastern and Western Europe.

In addition, travel agencies, camera crews and reporters - from countries including Thailand, the US, South Korea, and France – have visited Wudang.

Organizations in China - such as Phoenix.net, Tianya BBS, and China Tourism News - visited Wudang, in addition to over 60 internationals media organizations. More than 200 domestic and overseas travel agencies visited Wudang Mountains to gather information for possible tourism routes.

In 2013, Wudang also increased its efforts in online marketing, holding promotions on popular websites such as Xinhua, Sina, Baidu, China Daily and Tianya, and achieving a good click-through rate. In addition, Wudang also released an ipad and iphone app.

Tourism revenue of most scenic spots in China declined last year but, thanks in part to its marketing efforts, Wudang Mountains was one of the few exceptions. The Wudang Mountains Tourism and Economy Special Region divided the market according to different groups - such as students, elderly people, and overseas tourists - and tailored services for each group, thus boosting tourism.

French visitors pose for a photo in Wudang Mountains, Shiyan city, Hubei province. [Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

Members of a production crew of South Korea's EBS TV station meet kung fu experts in Wudang.[Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

An advertisement in New York City’s Times Square promotes the attractions of Wudang.[Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

Edited by Niva Whyman and Le Qin