Guizhou's springs become hot attraction at home and abroad

Hot spring attractions in Guizhou, a relatively undeveloped province in southwestern China, witnessed a boom in tourist arrivals during last month's Spring Festival holiday.

Guiyang, the provincial capital, received about 6.1 million visitors during the seven-day break, up 23 percent year-on-year. More than 44,000 visits were made to the hot spring resorts in the city's Wudang district, Guiyang's culture and tourism bureau said.

Chen Bo, deputy general manager at the Wanxiang Hot Spring Resort in Guiyang, said it received 18,000 visitors during the break, up 20 percent year-on-year and the most in any seven-day period since it opened in March 2017.

"The province is rich in geothermal resources," he said. "The hot springs here are mostly at a temperature of 57 C and contain diversified mineral substances -selenium, for example-that benefit the human body."

Chen said high-quality water is the key element for hot spring tourism, but entertainment and traditional Chinese medicine experiences also matter.

"We now offer travelers 65 pools with different therapies including TCM, tea, wine and vegetable extracts," he said. "Massages, a cinema and gym are also available."

Hot spring bathing has become a popular leisure activity for Chinese travelers in recent years, online travel agency Tuniu said in a news release, adding that there had been a significant increase in bookings for hot spring packages since November.

Tian Xinyan, a 35-year-old businesswoman, said: "I really enjoy hot spring spas to get myself relaxed from my busy work. It also moisturizes my skin and makes me sleep well."

Foreign travelers also appreciate the hot spring resorts in Guizhou.

Olga Drobnitsyna, a 28-year-old student from Russia, said she had never been to a hot spring in Russia because they were quite expensive and hard to find.

"Guiyang's hot springs were recommended to me by a foreign friend who's lived in Guiyang for a long time," she said."It was gorgeous, with many clean and spacious pools to go to. The price was reasonable, at 120 yuan ($18) a person. And the first time I went, there was a winter discount, so it only cost 70 yuan."

Guizhou's provincial government released a guideline for the development of hot springs tourism last year.

It said the province, home to about 260 registered geothermal locations, will be built into a "hot springs power" by 2020, with the revenue generated expected to account for 20 percent of the province's gross tourism revenue by 2025.

By the end of December, 10 hot spring resorts had been built in Guizhou, with investment totaling about 2.3 billion yuan ($344 million), the guideline said.

Li Hanyi in Guiyang contributed to this story.