Hongyuan County tourism boosts rural income in Sichuan

Hongyuan, whose name commemorates the Red Army crossing the grasslands, sits in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, an area that has been lifted by roads, rail links and airports. The county’s tourism push has translated into jobs and cash flow at the village level: 21 villagers work at Luo’s site, and tourism there generates about 400,000 yuan in annual income for Xiahalama Village.

The model depends on more than scenery. Luo’s business mixes stilted wooden cabins, nomadic day tours, Tibetan breakfast experiences and a butter latte that has become a draw in its own right, underscoring how China’s rural tourism market increasingly rewards experience-led spending rather than simple sightseeing. Local officials say outside entrepreneurs are helping bring new media skills and immersive formats that make historic sites more marketable to younger travelers.

The broader trend extends across the Long March route, where other scenic areas are seeing more traffic as transport improves. Songpan County received 10.64 million tourist visits in 2025, up 15.53% from a year earlier, while total tourism spending reached 31.81 billion yuan. Jiajin Mountain also recorded growth in visits, showing that the region is becoming part of a larger domestic travel circuit.

For investors, the story is a reminder that China’s consumer and hospitality opportunities are not limited to Tier 1 cities. Rural tourism, local transport, EV charging networks and hospitality suppliers can all benefit if Beijing keeps pushing regional development and domestic spending. The challenge is profitability: Luo says energy costs remain high, and businesses in high-altitude areas still face seasonal swings.

Still, the direction is clear. China’s remote western regions are increasingly being marketed not as backwaters but as lifestyle destinations, and that shift could keep drawing capital into hotels, food and beverage, and travel services tied to the country’s internal tourism boom.