Gansu beckons as destination of beauty and progress

A State-owned tourism company in Northwest China's Gansu province aims to step up efforts in integrating culture, tourism, rural vitalization and new urbanization.

"Our annual development goal this year is to achieve an operating revenue of over 5 billion yuan ($717.72 million)," says Shi Peiwen, chair of the Gansu Culture Tourism Group during the annual meetings of the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing, also known as the two sessions.

The major focus of the tourism group during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period includes building a number of multifunctional culture, tourism and therapeutic retreats, leading the way for the industry's development across Gansu, according to Shi, who is a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.

"We'll explore diverse digital development paths, expand business areas, broaden market channels, and create new profit growth through the 'technology plus' development model," he says.

The tourism group will also give support to the implementation of the national rural vitalization strategy based on Gansu's rural tourism resources, and build a number of creative facilities that integrate agriculture, culture and tourism for overall development.

"At the same time, we'll strive to achieve new breakthroughs in culture and tourism project operations, hotel management, creative design, culture the tourism trade, and financial investment," Shi says.

Since the beginning of this year, the tourism group has seen an evident recovery in its livestream sales, cultural products trade and hotel operations.

Next, the group will start strengthening the cultivation of cultural industries, vitalizing rural areas, promoting common prosperity, and building ecological awareness, according to Shi.

"We will continue to amplify the comprehensive effects of culture and tourism, showcasing the responsibility of State-owned enterprises in expanding domestic demand and promoting consumption," he says.

The group will keep close tabs on market demand to continuously upgrade industrial arrangement and product supply, while accelerating construction of major tourism projects, including natural scenic spots and leisure resorts.

Moreover, measures will be taken to deal with existing challenges, ranging from a lack of new products that cater to rising consumption demands for urban and rural leisure, to the limited capacity for dealing with surging tourist numbers.

Given the long process of planning, building and running large-scale culture and tourism projects, as well as new product research and development, Shi hopes the government can provide more financing, credit support, and special tax policies to help culture and tourism enterprises recover and accelerate development.

"At the same time, we also hope that more private sector bodies can participate in the development of the cultural and tourism industries, so as to fully mobilize the strength of all parties, stimulate market vitality, and achieve stable and efficient development of the culture and tourism industry," Shi says.

Shi believes the culture and tourism industry is a barometer of the post-pandemic market.

This year's Spring Festival holiday saw 308 million domestic trips made, accounting for 88.6 percent of the same period in 2019, according to the China Tourism Academy.

The holiday saw tourism revenue reach 375.8 billion yuan, 73.1 percent of the level in 2019.

"It was exciting news," Shi says.

Various culture and tourism activities were also staged across Gansu during the holiday, such as traditional opera performances in the countryside, New Year painting exhibitions and lantern riddles.

The province received 10.12 million traveler visits during the holiday, with 5.5 billion yuan in tourism revenue, representing an increase of 35 percent and 31 percent, respectively, compared with the same period last year, Shi says.

Gansu boasts diverse landforms and a distinctive climate, making it naturally photogenic.

Shi says the unique natural heritage and distinctive folk culture have granted the province a strong appeal to both domestic and foreign tourists.

In recent years, Gansu has continuously improved its tourism infrastructure and services. The Gansu culture and tourism authority has been continuously promoting favorable policies to subsidize travel agencies that arrange charter planes, special tourism trains and group tours for domestic and foreign tourists looking to travel in Gansu.

The Gansu Culture Tourism Group will offer discounts on tickets, hotels, and tourism products for group tours in its operations this year, Shi says.

The group seized the opportunity to roll out winter tourism projects during Spring Festival, which proved popular among travelers.

"From indications in the tourism market seen during this year's Spring Festival, we can feel the public's strong desire to travel," Shi says.

"I believe that the prospects for a comprehensive recovery of China's tourism industry are promising and, in the future, domestic tourism consumption will continue to rise, and the tourism economy will demonstrate strong growth momentum," he adds.