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
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.
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.
Just kilometres away from the pristine beaches and turquoise sea Hainan island is famous for, the site was chosen as its location is closer to the equator than those on the mainland.
Launching a rocket near the equator gives it extra propulsion on lift-off because the earth is rotating faster there than on any other place on its surface.
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The launch site has been the starting point for more than a dozen space missions, including the maiden flights of the Long March 5 and Long March 7 rockets, the launch of the Tianhe core module for China’s Tiangong space station, the Chang’e 5 lunar probe and the Tianwen 1 Mars probe.
“I brought my child here mainly to see the rocket launch, and to boost the sense of belonging to a strong motherland,” said Guangzhou resident Louis Chung who visited Wenchang last year.
“The experience was great and the atmosphere was amazing. Despite the bad weather, and the fact we couldn’t see the rocket 10 seconds after it entered the clouds, the lift off was shockingly impressive. I stayed for two days and will visit again if time allows.”
During a visit to the Wenchang launch pad on April 12, Chinese President Xi Jinping told staff to aspire towards becoming a world-class space centre, and reiterated the important role it plays in China’s space exploration ambitions.
The government aims to finish construction of its Tiangong space station this year, while also launching the Tianzhou 4 and 5 cargo spacecraft, as well as the Wentian and Mengtian experimental modules – all from Wenchang.
Completing the goals will be touted as a victory at the Communist Party’s 20th National Congress, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Before it was on the tourist trail, Longlou was unknown to the outside world and largely closed off. People had to take a boat to get there before the completion of Qinglan Bridge in 2012 and locals worked in agriculture and fisheries.
But after China’s space programme put it on the map, that all changed. In recent years, 700 businesses, including hotels and restaurants, as well as home appliance and furniture stores, have mushroomed across the town. The average income has also tripled in a little more than a decade to 19,171 yuan (US$2,906) a year.
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Last year, Longlou saw half a million visitors, while the wider city of Wenchang recorded more than eight million. Tourism revenue in Wenchang topped six billion yuan (US$903 million) last year, more than double the year before.
Still, even with flocks of spectators arriving for launch events, tourism income is extremely seasonal. Most of the year the town is quiet, with the only visitors being elderly retirees, known as snowbirds, from northeastern provinces waiting out the frigid winters at home.
“The restaurant and hotels completely depend on those few days during the launch to make a profit,” said a local driver surnamed Fu.
However, those precious few days of income have been scuttled this year thanks to travel restrictions imposed across the country to quell an Omicron outbreak.
On a normal day without a space launch, Fu used to be booked for 15 trips. But recently, he has only received one or two.
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Hotels are also feeling the effects of the latest outbreak.
“People are taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the upcoming Labour Day holiday and the launch [on May 10], especially with the outbreaks in Shanghai since March,” said Jacky Chen, chief concierge at Hilton Wenchang, the only five star resort in Wenchang, a week before the Labour Day holiday was to start on April 30.
“We would normally be booked full months ahead, but this time we still have rooms available,” Chen said.
For many locals, the pandemic has highlighted that a lot more needs to be done to tap Longlou’s tourist potential.
The town only has one high-end resort and one commercial street in its downtown area. Bars, night clubs and shopping malls – common features of tourist towns – are still absent.
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“There would be more visitors all year around if [Longlou] offered more immersive experiences, such as a 4D cinema or a zero gravity craft,” Fu said. “It would be much more attractive and entertaining if we had all that.”
Wenchang city has plans to build a theme park similar to the visitor centre at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre on Merritt Island.
In 2019, the centre’s visitor complex attracted more than 1.7 million visitors, with most coming from outside Florida. Spending by out-of-state tourists totalled US$114 million, according to a report by the newspaper Florida Today.
Authorities in Wenchang said in January they would push for a space travel theme park and space museum this year. The local government also plans to invest in industrial chains related to space tourism technologies, including an expansion of the launch site, rocket science development, data and satellite technologies, according to a report by the Hainan Daily.
There’s an amazing beach, a unique rocket launch site and other great natural resources
But similar talk has been circulating for years, with little action. A well-designed and profitable theme park requires considerable planning and investment, while building an industrial chain also requires time, talent and central organisation.
“An attraction is a must, but whether it really does the job depends on how well they run it,” Zhou, the consultant, said.
“It depends on whether the supporting facilities and businesses are complete. A good plan for sustainable development, or a top-level plan is a necessity.”
Looking ahead, Zhou said there was “huge potential” if the government can harness the area’s resources.
“There’s an amazing beach, a unique rocket launch site and other great natural resources,” he said. “Some sort of ocean tourism and space technology hybrid is totally doable, but it’s yet to be fully developed.”
