"Panda Kingdom" is adorable to the max—Sichuan creates the world’s first giant panda tourism route

A mother and baby giant panda at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. (Photo/China News Service)

The Giant Panda National Park spans three provinces in mainland China, covering an area three times that of Yellowstone National Park in the U.S., with 70% of the park located in Sichuan. (Xinhua News Agency)

Listed as a vulnerable species, the giant panda enjoys international superstar-like popularity. In addition to planning the construction of the Giant Panda National Park—which will be the second-largest national park in China—mainland China is also set to launch the world’s first giant panda-themed tourism route. This route will connect giant panda conservation bases, breeding research centers, and nearby natural landscapes in Sichuan, attracting both domestic and international travelers eager to experience the charm of these beloved bears.

According to reports from Chinese media, Sichuan plans to integrate the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, 46 giant panda nature reserves, and 3 major wild giant panda habitats as the direction for five giant panda-themed tourism experiences. It will also develop panda-related tourism amenities such as eco-friendly camping bases and panda-themed resort hotels, offering visitors unique close encounters with giant pandas.

The world’s only international giant panda ecotourism route will traverse the “Chengdu Panda Base – Dujiangyan Panda Valley – Wolong – Baoxing – Mount Siguniang – Ya’an Bifengxia.” Forming a large themed tourism loop through two routes (north and south), the journey offers both short and long options, with travel times from Chengdu’s city center ranging from half an hour to three hours.

The newly unveiled “1+5+N” tourism route links the Sichuan Giant Panda Ecological Experience Tourism Loop, panda-themed homestays, and attractions such as Mengding Mountain and Liziping. It includes the development of themed entertainment and creative experiences—such as panda theme parks, urban countryside parks, resort hotels, panda-themed commercial districts, and scientific research zones—to meet the diverse travel needs of international visitors.