The Greater Zhangjiajie International Tourism Area centers on the Wuling mountain range and involves the cities of Zhangjiajie, Huaihua, Shaoyang and Changde and also the Xiangxi autonomous prefecture. It features the layout of "a core, a land, two axes, three mountains, four poles and five routes" and aims to gather scattered cultural and tourism resources into a cohesive network.

As the "core", Zhangjiajie will drive the coordinated effort and joint development of cultural and tourism resources in the surrounding areas. The Fenghuang ancient town aims to develop into an important "land" for cultural and tourism integration. The "two axes" are two railway development axes that help connect scenic areas. The "three mountains" are the mountains of Wuling, Xuefeng and Langshan.

As for the "four poles", Xiangxi plans to develop the Wuling mountain area tourism growth pole; Huaihua will focus on the vacation and wellness industry growth pole of the Xuefeng mountain area; Shaoyang will build a significant land of natural heritage and ethnic culture integration in southwestern Hunan and develop a distinctive growth pole; and Changde will develop the provincial western growth pole of culture and tourism.