Hezhou charts new course for tourism

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NANNING — In Huangyao, a 1,000-year-old river town in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, stone bridges arch over winding waterways, banyan trees shade narrow lanes, and high brick walls enclose the courtyards of historical merchant residences.

In Huangyao, a 1,000-year-old river town in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, stone bridges arch over winding waterways, banyan trees shade narrow lanes, and high brick walls enclose the courtyards of historical merchant residences.

Once built to protect wealthy residents from outlaws, these features are now drawing a growing number of tourists.

For decades, tourism in Guangxi was synonymous with Guilin, whose karst peaks and world-famous waterways made it one of China's classic sightseeing destinations, says Yu Haixia, deputy general manager of a local tourism company.

That ambition took center stage recently when the city hosted the 2026 Guangxi Culture and Tourism Development Conference. At a related investment promotion event, Hezhou signed 21 project agreements covering hot-spring resorts, boutique accommodations and micro-drama production.

Local authorities used the gathering to promote itineraries combining tours to the old town and traditional opera with hot springs and trail races at the rugged Gupo Mountain Tourist Resort.

Figures suggest the strategy is gaining traction. Tourist arrivals and spending in Hezhou recorded double-digit growth during the first nine months of 2026, while registered check-ins at local hotels and guesthouses more than doubled year-on-year. Huangyao remains a major draw, receiving about 1.59 million visits in 2025, up nearly 27 percent from the previous year.

The growing influx of visitors is also drawing migrant workers back home. Li Fayuan, who returned from neighboring Guangdong province to run a guesthouse, says his property's annual occupancy rate has consistently topped 65 percent.

"Facilities were sparse when I first got here, but since Huangyao became a nationally rated 5A scenic spot in 2022, the environment has improved considerably, visitor experiences have become diverse, and more tourists are coming," Li says.

To give visitors more to do after sunset, local businesses are turning regional specialties into…

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