New ways to celebrate Spring Festival in Yunnan

This year’s Spring Festival was from January 31 to February 6. During this week-long holiday, a great choice of new tourist products and services focusing on local tourism, agritourism as well as short-haul trips and vacations were seen across Yunnan province. 

“Old places” offer new experiences

On February 2, Wen Guixin, a Malaysian Chinese who owns his business in Yunnan, took his family to a farm in Tuanjie county, Kunming. Sitting by the fire, they enjoyed coffee, desserts and a local chicken dish cooked with Sichuan pepper, and then went on for a short trek in the woods nearby. After this short-haul trip, Wen couldn’t wait to share his happiness with friends. According to the farm’s manager, Du Ruoyi, Tuanjie county has long been called Kunming’s “backyard”. During the Spring Festival holiday, the farm welcomed about 100 tourists each day, as it provided people with a space to breathe fresh air and fully relax themselves.  

Meanwhile, in order to attract more tourists, resort hotels, spa hotels and guesthouses created a series of services which combined accommodation, food, spa and tickets of scenic spots nearby together. At Club Med in northwest Yunnan’s Lijiang, a package which comprised childcare, night shows and meals gave Gao Yingdu, a Kunming citizen, one chance to enjoy a relaxing holiday. “Staff of the hotel were like tour guides. They were also great performers and singers. I was totally impressed,” she recalled. “I’d love to see more hotels of such, so I don’t need to go far for vacation anymore.”  

Leisure tourism is more popular than ever

At Midday of February 4, swarms of tourists were queuing before the main entrance of Zhu’s Family Garden, an iconic tourist destination in Jianshui, southeast Yunnan. The staff, divided into a few groups, were responsible for managing the queue, giving information and helping people enter the garden quickly. 

Several young people were lured to a spot where traditional Han dresses could be rented for snapshots. Xiao Zhu picked one red Han costume and took pictures with a friend. “As a local resident, I only pay 10 yuan for the garden’s ticket, which is cheap,” he said.” The pedestrian area of Jianshui Old Town was recently named one of the National-Level Streets for Tourism and Leisure Purposes. The bustling streets and scrumptious snacks were, apparently, the major tourist attractions.

“I have never thought that people are still coming to our town,” said Zhang Xuezheng, the head of Heijing township, on February 5. Over the 7-day Spring Festival holiday, he worked as a coordinator between travel agencies, police officers and bus companies to make sure that every tourist traveled safely and happily. “Before, people never stayed long in Heijing during the Spring Festival holiday. But this year, all the hotels and guesthouses in town had been booked beforehand,” said Zhang with surprise on his face. As an old town particularly well-known for its salt industry back in time, Heijing is ready to receive tourists from around the country.

Trans-editing by Wang Jingzhong (Yunnan Daily)