Project type: Professional, consulting for local government

Location: Chaozhou, Guangdong, China

Year: 2025

Scale: Approx. 11.34 sq km

My Role: Project lead

Chaozhou’s historic urban core has experienced rapid growth as a cultural tourism destination, attracting large visitor volumes, especially during holidays. Tourism activities are highly concentrated within the old city, which has become the primary spatial carrier of cultural consumption.

This concentration has led to severe congestion during peak periods, a low overnight stay rate, and limited capacity to introduce new programs without threatening heritage conservation. Local government therefore sought to redirect visitor flows and extend tourist stays while protecting the historic core.

current situation of the proposed tourist center

the historic town

The project proposed a new cultural and tourism destination adjacent to the old city, designed as a complementary rather than competing attraction. Through spatial structuring at regional and local scales, the plan integrates cultural experience, ecological leisure, rural heritage, wellness, and exhibition functions to support multi-day tourism.

The planning strategy relieves pressure on the historic core, extends visitor stay duration, and shifts Chaozhou toward a multi-node cultural tourism system. The project illustrates how spatial planning can respond to tourism-induced pressure while balancing heritage protection and long-term urban development.

proposed new tourist center