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Since the launch of its transformation plan in 2001, Wuzhen has received over 120 million visits in total and grown its total assets to more than 8.4 billion ($1.2 billion) yuan.
Remarkably, while nearly every other ancient town within 100 kilometers offers free admission, Wuzhen still charges 150 yuan. When people ask why, Chen gives a blunt answer: “We are a branded tourist destination.”
He describes Wuzhen’s journey in three steps: from a sightseeing town into a resort, and then into a cultural icon.
In the sightseeing phase before social media, he brought the prestigious Mao Dun Literature Prize to Wuzhen and set up an independent booth at ITB Berlin, one of the world’s largest travel trade shows. In the resort phase, he focused on overnight stays, with uniformly designed guesthouses and transparent pricing. “The brand is word-of-mouth,” he says.
