Kaiyang boosts cultural tourism industry with mountain offerings

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, Kaiyang county in Guiyang developed tourism industrialization based on its karst landforms and selenium-rich resources and integrated agriculture, culture, sports, and tourism.

Kaiyang earned several prestigious titles, including "Best Destination for Summer Vacation and Wellness Tourism in China" and "Most Beautiful Ecological Tourism County in China" at the 2017 China New Tourism Development Conference, as well as "2017 Best Travel Destination" by China National Travel magazine. The county was also one of Guizhou's first sports tourism demonstration zones and remained on the national list of top counties for comprehensive tourism strength for five consecutive years.

From 2021 to 2025, its total tourism revenue reached 49.95 billion yuan ($7.48 billion). In 2025, it received 10.3 million visits, generated 11.06 billion yuan in tourism revenue, and directly created 15,000 jobs.

The county built three core IPs for scenic spots, mountain sports, and homestays. Key attractions include Hou'er Tiankeng Extreme Adventure Park, Yunzhongjun Paragliding Base, Xinghe Zipline, Wengbu Cliff Waterfall Cafe, and Gaozhai Sea of Clouds. Hou'er Tiankeng is a national 3A-level scenic spot with over 2 billion views on Douyin and more than 500,000 visits in 2025.

Kaiyang promotes the "Selenium-Nurtured Kaiyang & Selenium-Rich Mountain Residences" brand and hosts sports tourism events. It also develops rural tourism, intangible cultural heritage experiences, red tourism, and study tours, operating five study bases that serve around 20,000 student visitors each year.