Major projects conducive to upgrade of Yunnan tourism

During the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan period, Yunnan had promoted restructuring and upgrade of its cultural tourism industry by regulating market, developing smart tourism and improving quality of tourism products, in a bid to build a new development paradigm for one of the province’s pillar industry.

In those five years, the province had carried out a series of major projects, which played significant roles in increasing the output value of its cultural tourism industry to over one trillion yuan.

A view of the Erhai lake in west Yunnan's Dali Bai autonomous prefecture (Photo/Yunnan Daily)

Yunnan had made efforts to build itself into a world-class tourism destination by promoting the development of batches of featured, quality and smart major projects and scenic spots in its 16 prefectures and cities. Kunming, capital of the province, had introduced many foreign and domestic well-known tourism enterprises and brands like Paramount, FantaSea, FantaWild, OCT and Sunac.

In Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, the Midu Flowing Creek Hot Spring Town was listed as an investment and financing project of national cultural and tourism, and a deal was signed to build Dali International Resort by French Puy du Fou.

In Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, the Gaozhuangxishuangjing Scenic Spot was listed into the first batch of national night cultural and tourism consumers’ clusters in October, 2021. In Puer City, ten resort hotels, seven boutique restaurant and 11 four-star homestay inns were put into operation.

Tourists pose for selfies in central Yunnan's Kunming city. (Photo/Yunnan Daily)  

Though challenges were posed by Covid-19 pandemic for the development of these major tourism projects, it’s also a time for Yunnan to think over the changes and breakthroughs of its tourism industry.

In 2020, the province rolled out “Several Measures to Support Cultural Tourism to Counter Covid-19 Pandemic and Achieve the Upgrade and Restructuring of Cultural Tourism of Yunnan Province ”, which focused on the development of major projects and new types of industries and products.

According to this policy, on the one hand, Yunnan would make endeavors to create better business environment and improve its tourism service quality. On the other hand, it would roll out preferential policies for implementing major projects.

A view of the Daguan river in central Yunnan's Kunming city (Photo/Yunnan Daily)  

During the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan period, Yunnan has established five national-level and 21 provincial-level holistic tourism demonstration areas. The number of its national-level and provincial-level resorts respectively increased by 2 and 25. Especially in 2021, the province drew up a clearer blue print for the cultural tourism development in several of its cities and prefectures.

According to the plan, Kunming would become China’s spring city and cultural city with historical fame. Dali would build world-class cultural tourism destination by carrying out a batch of world-class cultural tourism projects and infrastructures. Baoshan, with Tengchong as its flagship, promoted the restructuring and upgrade of its tourism industry by building itself into world-class cultural experiencing destination, rural tourism complex and hot spring and spa resort.

Lijiang would aim at developing high-end and internationalized tourism products to reshape its cultural tourism industry. Honghe would make continuous efforts to protect the Hani Terraced Field, a UNESCO world heritage and build itself into a demonstration area of culture and tourism integration.

Written by Wang Huan; Trans-editing by Zu Hongbing