Hunan Mangshan Wuzhi Peak Scenic Area: Accelerating the development of inbound tourism with barrier-free tourism features

China News Service, Chenzhou, September 7 (Xiang Yipeng and Zhang Xueying) "The barrier-free access to Mangshan Mountain is very well constructed. I feel that it is a smooth journey. I can see families pushing strollers and elderly people in wheelchairs on the road." Jin Hao, editor-in-chief of "The Voice of West Africa" ​​in Côte d'Ivoire, said that the construction of barrier-free facilities in mountainous scenic spots is very necessary to allow more tourists to experience the magnificent beauty endowed by nature.

On September 7, 18 Chinese media representatives from 11 countries and China's Hong Kong and Macao regions came to the Mangshan Wuzhi Peak Scenic Area in Yizhang County, Chenzhou, Hunan, to experience the barrier-free mountaineering mode and appreciate the beautiful scenery of this "mountain that does not need to be climbed".

Mangshan Mountain is located at the northern foot of the Nanling Mountains and at the junction of Hunan and Guangdong provinces. In October 2020, the China Tourist Attractions Association and the China Association of People with Disabilities awarded the Mangshan Wuzhi Peak Scenic Area the titles of "the country's first barrier-free mountain tourist attraction" and "the country's first barrier-free mountain scenic area" respectively. Since then, the scenic spot has been awarded the "Best Mountain Tourism Destination" award by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, gradually moving from a regional scenic spot to a broader international stage.

Relying on the benefits of the 240-hour transit visa-free policy, Yizhang County has launched a series of measures in recent years such as "visa convenience + 50% discount on tickets + departure tax refund" to effectively stimulate the growth of inbound tourists. Since 2025, Mangshan Scenic Area has focused on the Korean market. It has visited South Korea many times to promote cultural tourism, actively participated in the Seoul International Tourism Exhibition, and received many groups of Korean inspection groups and style collection groups. The hot topic of "a mountain to climb" is rapidly gaining popularity in South Korea.

Data show that in 2025, Mangshan tourist area will receive a total of 32,000 Korean tourists, a year-on-year increase of 320%. In the first half of this year, the scenic spot has received 32,000 overseas tourists, a year-on-year increase of 21%, and the growth rate of inbound tourism ranks among the top in Hunan Province. The customer source structure has also gradually expanded from South Korea to Japan, Singapore and other countries. At the same time, taking advantage of the opportunity of Chenzhou to establish sister cities with some African cities, the scenic spot is actively exploring the potential of the African market.

Why does Mangshan win the favor of overseas tourists? The answer lies in its systematic accessibility. Traditional mountain-type scenic spots are often insurmountable for the elderly, disabled people and families with strollers. Mangshan has invested more than 1 billion yuan in a comprehensive transformation from hardware facilities to soft services, and has achieved a three-level leap from the traditional mountaineering model of "traveling through mountains and rivers" to the relaxed touring model of "walking around mountains and rivers" to the barrier-free travel model of "touring mountains and rivers".

Huang Chan, Party Secretary and Director of Yizhang County Culture, Tourism, Broadcasting and Sports Bureau, said that Mangshan’s barrier-free experience is reflected in many aspects. At the physical level, the scenic spot has achieved barrier-free access throughout the entire journey through facilities such as high-altitude cableways, plank roads, vertical elevators, wheelchair lifts, and escalators, which greatly facilitates the elderly, disabled people, and families with infants. At the service level, the scenic spot is equipped with signage and guide broadcasts in four languages: Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean. It also has a large number of SOS emergency help points, equipped with medical points, charity stations and volunteer services, which can quickly handle tourists' emergencies. At the same time, it also provides heart-warming and convenient services, and provides free raincoats, ginger tea, etc. to tourists. At the payment level, the scenic spot supports cash, WeChat, Alipay and POS machines to meet the diverse payment needs of overseas tourists.

Tour guide Jin Hu specializes in ground pick-up work for Korean groups and has received nearly 30 groups of Korean groups this year. "I mainly take groups of Korean senior citizens, who particularly like the natural scenery of Mangshan Mountain, such as the Golden Whip Pillar, the small rooftop, etc. The scenic spot has outstanding barrier-free advantages. The plank roads are gentle and there are few stairs, so the tour is not tiring. In addition, there are Korean signs in many places, and the tourists have a good experience." Jin Hu said that he once took a Korean tourist in a wheelchair to achieve a full barrier-free tour in Mangshan Mountain.

Faced with the continued growth of overseas passenger flow, Mangshan is also clearly aware of its own shortcomings. Huang Chan said frankly that in addition to the relatively sufficient reserve of English personnel, there is still a lack of professional translation talents for Korean, Japanese and other minor languages, and the ability to communicate in depth foreign languages ​​is limited. In the next step, the scenic spot plans to allocate translation talents in corresponding languages ​​according to the number of overseas tourists. At the same time, it will provide diversified catering according to the tastes of tourists from different countries, continue to improve service standards, and iteratively optimize facilities and services based on tourist feedback.

Deng Jing, deputy general manager of Mangshan Wuzhi Peak Scenic Spot, revealed that the scenic spot is connecting with many travel agencies in Zhangjiajie to create cross-regional tourism routes and actively expand source markets such as Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States.

"A mountain that does not need to be climbed" is achieving new acceleration on the inbound tourism track with its barrier-free features.