Rocket launches from Wenchang have drawn an increasing number of tourists and space enthusiasts to the city in the tropical island province of Hainan in south China.

Many gathered for the launch of the Chang'e-6 lunar probe at the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Friday.
Carried by a Long March-5 carrier rocket, the Chang'e-6 has successfully entered the Earth-Moon transfer orbit. It is set to collect and return samples from the Moon's mysterious far side -- the first such endeavor in the history of human lunar exploration.
A group of student journalists from China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region embarked on a four-day space study tour in Wenchang's town of Longlou last Wednesday, where they learned about the aerospace history of China, and waited to watch the launch of the Chang'e-6 spacecraft.
"We have a parent-child tour group consisting of hundreds of elementary school students and their parents. Space study tours are very popular, and many parents in Yulin (a city in Guangxi) are interested in them, so many of them signed up for this tour," said Chen Junming, leader of the student tour group sponsored by the Yulin Daily newspaper of Guangxi.
On the eve of the launch mission, the Wenchang Aerospace Science Popularization Center put up a science carnival, inviting space experts and visitors for a face-to-face exchange. The center was bustling with people during the launch of the Chang'e-6, as enthusiasm for space tourism soars.
"We will stay in Hainan throughout the May Day holiday (from May 1 to 5). After watching the rocket launch, we will also explore Wenchang and enjoy the local cuisine," said Lan Qixiang, a tourist from Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province.
"In the next step, we will do a good job in activities associated with each rocket launch, invite more experts, and draw more fans to the center to experience the charm of the space program," said Han Ze, a tour guide with the Wenchang Aerospace Science Popularization Center.
On the very day the Chang'e-6 was launched, Wenchang drew nearly 80,000 tourists. Over the past two years, Longlou, a town with a population of less than 30,000, has received over 1.5 million visitors, a key driver of consumption.