Mitigating tourism's emissions, in particular related to transportation is critical, to achieve the broader national emission reduction targets in developing countries. To gain a better understanding of the carbon emissions related to one of Chinese top destinations, and assess changes over time, this article analyses the travel patterns of both domestic and international visitors to Zhangjiajie, Hunan province. Two points in time are examined, namely 2009 and 2015. The results show that despite some contraction towards closer and shorter trips, the overall growth (a near doubling in arrivals)...