For the Chinese, Nanjing has always been a popular tourist destination, but never more so than in 2023. Turns out we did not spend the last 3 years hiding from COVID after all; instead, we got busy creating fun, interesting and unique draws for tourists and locals alike!
In the first quarter of this year, Nanjing received a total of 44.37 million tourists, an increase of 68.5 percent year on year and 22 percent when compared to 2019. Meanwhile, revenue from tourism stood at ¥76.6 billion, up 49.8 percent year on year, and 17.9 percent on 2019.
Traditionally, Nanjing has pulled in the visitors principally to four spots; Sun Yat-Sen’s Mausoleum, Confucius Temple, the Presidential Palace and the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge.
Of these, two brought in the crowds for their links to the Republican Era, with the Presidential Palace housing the office of the first Provisional President of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen. As one of the world’s greatest statesmen, it is no wonder that the grandeur of his mausoleum attracts those from far and wide.
As for the Bridge, in years gone by visitors would ascend to its deck by lifts inside the Bridge’s main piers, for an up-close-and-personal look at the first bridge across the Yangtze built by China without foreign assistance; it’s a grand structure providing for a sense of patriotism in all Chinese.
Today though, bridge seekers have another option. The recently restored cruise along the Yangtze goes under the Bridge and now also takes in newly redeveloped Republican era sites, such as the Pukou Ferry.
The cruise is emblematic for a host of other additions to the menu we can now offer our incoming guests.
Take Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo as an example. COVID hit the Zoo particularly hard. Other business could just shut up shop entirely and wait it out, but that’s not possible with a zoo. On the verge of bankruptcy, the Zoo turned to adoption as an answer, as The Nanjinger reported at the time. And many people responded from all over China, saving the Zoo in the process.
Some of those have recently been coming to the Zoo in person, many for the first time, to see the animals they adopted.
Wu Tianhao, to whom The Nanjinger spoke to when he adopted a giraffe in 2020, was one such visitor. “We were guided by zoo staff to enter the giraffe house to see the daily routine of their lives; feeding, wandering around and their sleeping place, etc.”, Wu told The Nanjinger this afternoon.
More recently, Hongshan also unlocked new experiences such as overnight stays, helping to push visiting numbers further. In 23Q1, the Zoo saw 1.458 million visitors, an increase of 270 percent year on year and 144.5 percent compared to 2019.
Among them, 62.2 percent were not from Nanjing, while 69.7 percent were aged under 30, reports Nanjing Daily.
Xiao Lin, a college student from Anhui, who participated in the overnight stay activity at the Zoo found the experience to be unique. “The itinerary is interesting and fulfilling; it’s really great!”, said Lin.
Elsewhere, people have been attracted more than ever to places such as Confucius Temple and Laomendong (pictured). As for the latter, many have come from elsewhere to immerse themselves in the traditional Qing Dynasty, green-tinted brickwork and tiled walls of the ancient city.
Also on offer today are experiences at many other new attractions we simply did not have before COVID, the Nanjing City Wall Museum being a good example. It’s part and parcel of the visiting Nanjing in 2023 experience that is making us so “hot”!
