During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China Tourism Group (CTG) focused on upgrading traditional services and cultivating emerging industries. It has been creating enjoyable experiences for consumers and contributing to building China into a tourism powerhouse, with all tasks seeing solid progress.
Serve National Strategies
Adhering to providing quality services with integrity, CTG has established nine demonstration sites, including the Sanya International Duty-free Shopping Complex, where the services tailored to customers were enabled by both innovation and advanced technologies. Upon the launch of the island-wide special customs operations in Hainan Province, CTG rolled out six duty-free stores in the cities of Sanya, Haikou and Boao to boost consumption.
A kaleidoscope of tourism destinations was established, including the Riyue Bay Surf Resort in Wanning County and the Yaoguang Rocket Launch Viewing Platform in Wenchang County. It has built the Sanya International Duty-free Shopping Complex into the country's first national 4A-level tourist attraction with duty-free commerce at its core. Furthermore, CTG has introduced a themed tourist product integrating round-island self-drive and Xisha Islands cruise.
Through these methods, CTG has charted a new chapter for the development of Hainan as a free trade port and an international center for tourism and consumption.
CTG has established the Sanya International Duty-free Shopping Complex in Hainan Province. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
CTG has made sustained efforts to boost tourism in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. CTG co-hosted the first Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum with the Hong Kong Tourism Board and introduced a series of major activities, such as the “HELLO PANDAS” outdoor carnival and the exhibition of national treasures, including the renowned brass animal heads from the Old Summer Palace. As an official service partner of the 15th National Games, CTG also launched a variety of products integrating tourism and sports elements.
The group’s luxury cruise ship, Piano Land, regularly berths at Hong Kong Port. A new duty-free store was unveiled at Hong Kong International Airport, complemented by two others set up within the region. CTG further expanded its local presence through the acquisition and construction of hotels at various scales.
To streamline customer experience, CTG introduced the one-stop tourism service platform “ctgo.” It aims to consolidate the group’s resources in Hong Kong and deliver efficient services to customers with just a few clicks.
Boost Cultural Tourism
CTG has actively promoted the integrated development of culture and tourism. Tasked with helping foreign diplomats explore China’s beauty, CTG attracted more than 300 participants from 91 countries. For two straight years, CTG held China-U.S. youth exchange activities in Kuliang, a hillside resort in Fuzhou, East China’s Fujian Province, where many American expatriates lived in the 1900s. In cooperation with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd., CTG also established a camp to share knowledge on China’s large aircraft. Additionally, it co-hosted the China-Vietnam cross-border song festival with the Vietnamese National Song and Dance Ensemble. CTG has also incorporated intangible cultural heritage elements into cruise and railway tours, unleashing the economic potential of fine traditional cultural resources. Culturally themed intellectual property hits were introduced into the resorts.
CTG has enriched its tourism products by developing the debut economy, silver economy, and ice and snow economy. In the debut economy, CTG set up six duty-free stores in Hainan to form a new urban duty-free complex with a diverse product range. Two Starlight sightseeing expresses, respectively serving the Mekong River region and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, were in operation to promote the integrated development of railway transport and tourism. During the Cambodia-China Tourism Year 2025, CTG organized the first group of 1,000 Chinese tourists to Cambodia, which received praise from the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia. In the silver economy, CTG introduced tailored brands and services to meet senior tourists’ travel and wellness needs.
Regarding the ice and snow economy, CTG introduced the Songhuahu Lake resort and the Longgang Mountain snow sports center in Northeast China. Ice-and-snow themed trains and self-drive tourism offerings have also been introduced, encouraging visitors to explore snowy landscapes. CTG’s services also extended to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the 14th National Winter Games, while it obtained licensing to design and sell creative products of the winter Olympic Games in Beijing and Milan.
A tourist skis in the Longgang Mountain snow sports center in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province.[Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Wider Business Layout
CTG played a leading role in consolidating cruise ship assets owned by central state-owned enterprises (SOEs). It led the initiative to form a national cruise ship operation platform with the largest number of fleets in Asia. Based on the platform, various themed tours were unveiled. For example, the cruise ship Adora offered visitors fresh experiences with themed tours on Dunhuang culture and Peking opera, generating increased revenue. The competitive power of the domestic large cruise ships exemplifies China’s shift from primarily offering products to providing comprehensive services.
A large cruise ship charts a course through the deep-blue sea. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
CTG expanded its portfolio with 12 tourist destinations, spanning from Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to East China’s Zhejiang Province. It launched the China-Vietnam Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall project, China’s first cross-border tourism cooperation zone. At the Shapotou Scenic Area in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, a desert resort featuring a cluster of themed hotels was developed. A one-stop holiday resort offering diverse entertainment options was built in Shenzhen to attract visitors from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.
Through its duty-free stores in Singapore and Sri Lanka, CTG promoted hundreds of domestic brands in the international market. More than 20 hotels abroad have been added since CTG’s cooperation with and investment in renowned foreign brands. By merging with Beijing Hanov Group, a specialist in cultural and creative products, CTG strengthened its capabilities in this area. Additionally, a dedicated subsidiary was established to harness advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence in tourism.
Shoulder Social Responsibilities, Support Rural Vitalization
CTG carried out paired assistance programs in Liping County in Guizhou Province, and Shangri-La, Deqin County, Ximeng County and Menglian County in Yunnan Province. It also provided industrial support to the counties of Mabian and Leibo in Sichuan Province. The total funding added up to 178 million yuan ($25.62 million).
Leveraging its tourism expertise, CTG helped boost local industries and contributed to rural vitalization. More than ten “Beautiful Villages” were established with several cultural tourism brands built to increase the incomes of local rural residents.
Huanggang Village in Liping County was recognized as the “Best Tourism Village” by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in 2025. CTG also built a central SOEs cultural tourism assistance platform in collaboration with China Mobile Limited to advance rural vitalization through tourism-led growth.
A cluster of wooden buildings with local and ethnic features. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
CTG adhered to green development and promoted low-carbon projects. Its major projects were implemented with a strong emphasis on environmental protection, with Haikou International Duty-free Shopping Complex winning the LEED golden certification, an internationally recognized benchmark for green building excellence. Energy monitoring systems were applied to increase the share of clean energy, thus consistently reducing carbon dioxide emissions per 10,000-yuan ($1439.43) of GDP. One of its subsidiaries, a bus services provider, introduced 279 new-energy vehicles into its fleet. The Internet of Things infrastructure at logistics centers was upgraded to lower energy consumption and enhance storage efficiency, while all warehouses were equipped with energy-saving lighting.
Looking ahead, CTG is committed to understanding market trends and meeting customer needs, positioning itself to capitalize on major opportunities in the tourism sector. Through innovation, detailed services and technology-driven methods, CTG plans to promote more high-quality products and services. Building on the achievements of the 14th Five-Year Plan and through the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), CTG aims to contribute significantly to building China into a tourism powerhouse.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
