Chinese tourist town looks for lift-off with space tourism trend

Local authorities have big ambitions to brand the Wenchang Space Launch Site as China’s equivalent to Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex

But making it a reality is a long way off as the tourist industry in Longlou, which is home to the launchpad, lacks support and a plan for year-round development

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Wenchang city is becoming a space tourism city, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Photo: Simon Song

Published: 11:00am, 1 May 2022Updated: 9:34am, 3 May 2022

Just two months ago, the town of Longlou in the southern province of Hainan was packed with crowds there to watch the launch of a Long March 8 rocket and witness China take another step towards becoming a space power.

Tourists flock to the town of 30,000 people a few times a year to watch launches, booking out hotels with the best views of the Wenchang Space Launch Site, China’s fourth and southernmost spaceport.

Now, though, as the country grapples with its worst Covid-19 outbreak in two years, the visitors have vanished – highlighting the precarious boom-and-bust cycle of the local economy and an unsustainable tourist development model that depends almost entirely on China’s space ambitions.

Local authorities have big dreams to brand the Wenchang launch site as China’s equivalent to Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex in Florida. But making it a reality is a long way off as Longlou’s tourist industry lacks support and a plan for year-round development.

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“Every characteristic town needs a core attraction that’s sustainable and there must be a top down design that covers the complete package of infrastructure and the industrial chain,” said Zhou Mingqi, founder of tourism-focused Jingjian Consulting, referring to towns earmarked for special development. He added no business can survive on a dozen days of tourism revenue a year.

The Wenchang space launch pad broke ground in 2009 and hosted its first flight in June 2016, with the lift-off of Long March 7.