Summary
A Hunan delegation visited Australia and New Zealand from 26 to 31 October for tourism and industry exchanges under the 'Three Xiang and Four Waters, Meet in Hunan' banner. The New Zealand leg was held on the afternoon of 29 October local time at Parliament Buildings in Wellington, with Xie Yongjun, Minister-Counsellor and head of mission at the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, and New Zealand National Party MP Nancy Lu speaking at the event. The promotion showcased Hunan's natural scenery, history, intangible cultural heritage and folk customs through performances, heritage displays and dedicated presentations.
Hunan Overseas Tourism Co signed a strategic co-operation agreement with New Zealand's Hello Hidden China Limited to jointly develop Hunan inbound tourism products for the New Zealand market and to exchange visitors and co-promote itineraries. The delegation also met Victoria Tourism, the China National Tourist Office in Sydney, the Wellington Chinese Cultural Centre and the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand, and visited Weta Workshop, with discussions covering visitor exchange, joint route development, meetings and incentive tourism, and study-travel co-operation. Liao Jian said Hunan's tourism sector hopes to strengthen ties with Australian counterparts and deepen visitor exchange, industry integration and cultural mutual learning for mutual benefit.
New Zealand visitor arrivals to Hunan rose 19.7 percent year on year. The Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism said it will continue to use international exchange platforms to build two-way channels with Australia and New Zealand and attract more overseas visitors to Hunan for sightseeing, study experiences and investment.
Commentary
Hunan's New Zealand promotion comes as China's inbound tourism market recovers unevenly. China received 132 million inbound visitors in 2025, up 60.8 percent year on year, with New Zealand visitors up 19.7 percent, albeit from a small base. New Zealand operators should focus on distribution opportunities from more direct flights to China's second- and third-tier cities rather than only on first-tier gateways.
Hunan's agreement with Hello Hidden China to develop niche cultural routes reflects a shift by Chinese destinations from large-group sightseeing toward customised, themed products, which suits the flexibility of small and medium-sized New Zealand inbound operators. Statistics New Zealand data show Chinese visitors spend about NZD 4,100 per person, above the average, but stay for relatively short periods. Hunan's study-travel and meetings resources could extend stays and lift spend per visitor.
However, a shortage of Mandarin-speaking guides in New Zealand and limited payment convenience remain bottlenecks. If the Hunan department pushes for two-way charters or visa facilitation, Auckland and Christchurch small operators would benefit directly.
Keywords: Hunan tourism promotion, Wellington New Zealand, inbound tourism market, visitor exchange, strategic co-operation agreement, Parliament Buildings Wellington, Hello Hidden China, Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism
AI illustration on MiDeer Observer
Source: Hunan Rednet
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