Chaoyang is committed to the philosophy of "upholding integrity and innovation, integrating development, and enhancing quality and efficiency." It focuses on establishing itself as a national model city for cultural and tourism consumption and a demonstration zone for the integration of cultural and tourism industries. The district aims to achieve breakthroughs through new ideas, new scenarios, and new offerings, promoting high-level, high-quality, and premium tourism development. This effort supports Beijing's goal of becoming an internationally top-tier tourism destination and contributes to the continuous progress and success of the city's international consumer center initiative.
In the first half of 2024, Chaoyangachieved tourism revenue of 73.36 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 17.7%, ranking first in the city and accounting for 23.6% of the total tourism revenue. The district welcomed 39.73 million net visitors, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 20.8%. Preliminary estimates based on data from 311 key monitored hotels indicate that from January to September, Chaoyang received 551,000 inbound tourists, a 45.3% increase compared to the previous year, representing about 20.26% of the city's total inbound arrivals (2.719 million visitors during the same period).
Chaoyang was recognized as one of the first batch of national pilot cities for cultural and tourism consumption in 2021 and as a key unit for the integration of cultural and tourism industries in 2023. The development of cultural and tourism industries has received "incentives from the State Council." The district boasts 17 national-level cultural tourism brands, including four national nighttime cultural and tourism consumption clusters (Liangma River, 798 Art District, Happy Valley, and Joy City), two national tourism and leisure districts (SanlitunTaikoo Li and 751 Art District), two national industrial tourism demonstration bases (798 and 751), and several other recognized areas. Additionally, it has eight Beijing-level brands, including six Beijing tourism and leisure districts, one of which is recognized as a second batch of micro-vacation destinations (Liangma River), and one case among the top ten applications for cultural and tourism technology innovation in Beijing (Pop Mart).
Innovative transformation: Exploring high-quality development paths for tourism
Tourism serves as a new engine for urban economic development and an essential vehicle for urban construction and cultural dissemination. Chaoyangupholds a people-centered approach, adapting to the times by proposing the "Five Amenities" development goals—creating a livable, business-friendly, educational, and tourist-friendly environment. This integrates tourism industry development into urban construction, exploring paths for high-level tourism growth to enhance the city's image and competitiveness.
To promote the high-quality development of cultural and tourism industries, Chaoyang has actively implemented policies such as the "Chaoyang Cultural and Tourism Integration Development Action Plan" and "Implementation Opinions on Promoting Cultural and Tourism Consumption." The establishment of the Chaoyang Cultural Tourism Group aims to improve the tourism industry system and foster the integration of culture, commerce, and tourism, continually enhancing service quality and stimulating tourism consumption potential, keeping the district at the forefront of the capital's tourism economy.
Additionally, Chaoyang strengthens the protection of cultural heritage and innovation, implementing projects to activate cultural genes and further highlight the cultural identity of the Grand Canal, linking history with modernity and culture with tourism. Renovations at sites like Dongyue Temple and Yongtong Bridge preserve authenticity while showcasing dynamic culture, conveying the charm of historical heritage to visitors. Leveraging its international character, the district promotes cultural exchange and mutual learning, focusing on building "Five Cities"—a city of museums, reading, art, dual Olympic heritage, and fashion—crafting a "Chaoyang Journey" that emphasizes cultural arts, fashionable consumption, and quality branding.
In Chaoyang, the scenery integrates with the city, and the city exists within the landscape. The district also emphasizes green development, aiming to become a model for ecological civilization, with initiatives like "One Garden, One Flower, One Product" and "One Road, One Flower, One Leaf" to create a garden city. With the largest urban green and park areas in the city, Chaoyang presents a beautiful ecological legacy.
Creating new scenes to stimulate high-quality development in tourism
In the context of a new era, how can we continuously innovate and showcase new landmarks, brands, and scenes to keep the city vibrant and attract visitors? Chaoyang is dedicated to this goal and has achieved remarkable results.
Establishing New Urban Tourism Landmarks, Chaoyang is revitalizing its urban landscape through the restoration of waterways. The Liangma River International Style Waterfront connects key commercial areas such as Sanlitun, Yansha, and Blue Harbor. With its "1 River, 2 Lakes, 24 Bridges, and 18 Scenery Spots," along with unique immersive light and shadow experiences, it has become known as Beijing's "Seine River." The Liangma River Cultural Economic Belt is also being developed, upgrading the commercial structure and brand types. Since 2023, visitor numbers around Liangma River have increased by nearly 14%, with key commercial projects seeing sales increases of over 40% and commercial activity rising by over 32%. Meanwhile, Wenyu River Park has become a popular gathering spot for "micro-vacations" in the city, and the transformed Langyuan Station has emerged as a cultural landmark, appealing to visitors of all ages.
Thriving Performance Economy, Chaoyang's performing arts scene is booming, with a trend of "traveling with performances" emerging. In the first half of the year, the district hosted 11,000 ticketed performances, serving about 2.38 million attendees and generating approximately 900 million yuan in box office revenue, all ranking first in the city. Additionally, 34 large concerts were held at major venues, serving around 985,000 attendees and earning about 728 million yuan in ticket sales—representing 47.9%, 77.1%, and 72.0% of the city's total for large concerts during this period.
Promoting "Tourism+" Integrated Brands, Chaoyang continues to develop cultural tourism brands such as the Liangma River Awakening Spring Festival, International Tea Culture Festival, International Light Festival, Wenyu Qian Lantern Festival, International Garden Festival, and CYBA Basketball League. It has also launched the city’s first cultural tourism bus line, further enhancing its tourism identity. The aim is to create a vibrant year-round destination with highlights and quality experiences. The inaugural Beijing Chaoyang International Light Festival alone generated 2.1 billion yuan in sales and attracted 10 million visitors, while the event "A Phoenix Flies in the Sky" became a social media sensation, contributing to a lively cultural tourism scene.
Constructing New Consumption Scenes,Chaoyang is committed to innovation, change, and refinement in its approach, fostering new tourism consumption experiences. By enhancing the cultural, technological, and fashionable elements of tourism scenes, the district is transforming tourist traffic into consumer spending. Notable attractions include THE BOX Chaoyang Youth Center, the immersive "teamLab" art space at Chaoyang Joy City, the first Pop Mart city-themed park in China, and upgraded venues like the Worker’s Stadium. Popular areas such as the 798 Art District, Silk Street, and Panjiayuan Antique Market have also seen significant enhancements. Commercial areas like Wangjing Street, Sanlitun, and the CBD continue to upgrade, creating a comprehensive consumption landscape that stimulates cultural and tourism spending throughout the district.
Developing new supply to meet high-quality tourism demand
The ongoing development of new tourism supply acts as an accelerator for the industry and is an effective way to fulfill the public's desire for a better quality of life.
Chaoyang is committed to enhancing tourism through culture, hosting a variety of cultural events at its iconic landmarks, commercial districts, and parks. Events like the Liangma River International Art Season, fashion shows, the "Walk the Runway at Liangma River" international fashion show, the Art Night micro-performance series, and the Museum Encounter series enrich the tourism experience. By leading with culture, these initiatives enhance the attractiveness and influence of tourism spots.
Chaoyang emphasizes the integration of travel and culture, continuously developing itself as a "Capital of Performing Arts." In addition to major venues like the Bird's Nest, Workers' Stadium, and the National Indoor Stadium, Chaoyang has recognized 12 new performance spaces. It has introduced a series of smaller, unique venues such as Huahua World, Ailehui, and the XiaoKe Theater, fostering a diverse array of performance experiences and creating a new model where visitors can "travel to concerts."The district is also building itself as a "City of Museums," with a total of 90 museums now operating in the area. Notably, Chaoyang is home to the city's first "type-museum" facility. It has launched the "Chaoyang Museum Pass," which facilitates access to various museums, enhancing the educational tourism experience through initiatives like the "Encounter the Museum" program.
The multi-dimensional integration of culture, tourism, commerce, and industry in Chaoyanghas also yielded impressive results. The district focuses on deep integration across the entire industrial chain of "eat, stay, travel, shop, and entertain," continuously creating new integrated scenes and brands to cultivate and enhance the new productive forces in culture and tourism. There is a strong push to develop the "first-store economy," making "play in Beijing, stay in Chaoyang, and shop in Chaoyang" a popular travel choice in the city. Events like the 23rd Beijing Folk Culture Festival and the "Our Festivals" initiative promote traditional culture, bringing it to life and generating excitement. The district also hosts a series of activities like "Museums in Shopping Areas," enhancing cultural displays and spreading cultural knowledge.Leveraging its status as a dual Olympic city, Chaoyang is developing a "Sports + Tourism" ecosystem around major events such as the China Open tennis tournament, further enriching its tourism offerings.
Chaoyang is now rich in historical resources, unique dual Olympic assets, prominent cultural and tourism resources, concentrated creative industries, leading fashion resources, and recognized international resources. This fusion of traditional culture and modern civilization fosters a vibrant exchange between Chinese and international cultures, leading to a thriving tourism consumption market with diverse cultural and tourism experiences.Moving forward, Chaoyang aims to accelerate the construction of a strong tourism nation by enhancing the mechanisms for deep integration of culture and tourism. The district will focus on promoting high-quality, sustainable development in the tourism sector. This includes leveraging cultural heritage to drive tourism, using creative park developments, revitalizing riverfronts, enhancing urban renewal, tapping into fashion trends, and capitalizing on Olympic assets to boost tourism. By striving to build a world-class tourism destination, Chaoyang will continuously polish its "Tourist-Friendly Chaoyang" brand, providing a model for high-quality tourism development in Beijing.
