Beijing to Wulong flights begin boosts tourism to Transformers filming location

China has recently opened direct flights from Beijing to Wulong, Southwest China's Chongqing, a world-famous scenic spot that has been the shooting location of the US film Transformers.

The maiden flight between the capital and Wulong is expected to attract more tourists from both home and abroad, to further drive tourism and consumption amid economic recovery, industry experts said.

The round-trip between Beijing and Wulong, carried by China Southern Airlines, will operate twice a week starting from Sep 11 — on Mondays and Fridays.

With the opening, it only takes about three hours for tourists to land at Xiannyushan Airport from Beijing. Xiannyushan is also known as Fairy Mountain.

Xiannyushan airport is also the country's only civil airport built in a 5A-level scenic spot, meaning that tourists only need to take a 10-minute ride from Xiannyushan airport to Fairy Mountain, a major tourist spot.

Wulong, endowed with tourism resources, has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site for its karst landforms and several major attractions, including three natural bridges, the Gorge Valley, Tianmen Cave Bridge, Furong Caves and Fairy Mountain. It annually logs more than 40 million tourist visits.

Three natural bridges, for instance, are a UNESCO World Heritage and 5A-level scenic spot. With its three grand bridges and two sky holes constituting the natural wonders, the spot has become a shooting place for Director Zhang Yimou's movies The City of Golden Armor and The Transformers 4.

In addition, Wulong has also adopted the advanced concept from Europe by introducing the Treetop Walk in Fairy Mountain, where tourists can have an interactive sightseeing and playing experience amid mountains, forests, and various playing equipment.

The walkway is friendly to children and people with disabilities, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding and feeling of nature.

To further expand tourism demand, Wulong opened direct flights to Guangzhou, Guangdong province and Changsha, Hunan province, this year.