Guilin Working From The Top Down To Attract Visitors

To establish itself as a world-class tourist resort, Guilin should adopt a cross-industrial and cross-regional approach for its development, the city's top authorities said.

Zhao Leqin, Party chief of Guilin, mentioned the city's recently approved tourism industry plan, saying that Guilin is expected to become one of the world's top destinations by 2020.

He said the revenue from the tourism industry is estimated to reach 150 billion yuan ($22.3 billion) in the year 2020, accounting for more than a quarter of the local GDP.

However, to meet the goal, the city needs to "integrate the resources of other industries and other regions", Zhao said.

He emphasized the role of the cultural sector in promoting Guilin's tourism development.

"As a famous Chinese saying puts it, 'Guilin has the best mountains and waters under heaven'. Guilin is known to many people for its unique scenery," Zhao said.

"However, few people know of Guilin's long history and profound culture, leaving valuable treasures to both the locals and tourists," the Party chief added.

To make Guilin more attractive to tourists, the city should "discover the strength and tap into the value of its local culture", Zhao said.

According to Zhou Jiabin, mayor of Guilin, many of the cultural legacies have been kept intact in Guilin and have become new attractions to tourists.

He cited the Jingjiang Prince City and the neighboring old street called Dongxi Xiang, or East-West Alley, saying the well-preserved ancient architecture is showing its increasing value to tourists.

The prince city was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) as the residence of one of the princes of the first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

The ancient buildings have survived intact to this day. However, the city wall was concealed by many modern-day buildings.

A renovation project was launched last year to bring the hidden wall back into view. The project also involved the repair of Dongxi Xiang.

According to Zhou, the prince city was once the most prominent landmark in ancient Guilin. The recent renovation aims to protect this historical legacy and add a new attraction for tourists.

Another ancient landmark, Xiaoyao Tower, was also rebuilt two years ago and was opened to tourists in April.

Aside from its historical destinations, the resources of many other industries will also be used to strengthen Guilin's tourism sector, according to Party chief Zhao.

Guilin has a developed transport system of high-speed railways, expressways and civil aviation.

The Guilin Liangjiang International Airport is the largest airport in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The city also operates its own airline company, Guilin Airlines, which has flights to a number of domestic and foreign cities.

According to Zhao, the city now offers tourists air tours for sightseeing: The latest development in the cooperation between the tourism and aviation industries.

Zhang Tingting, a tourist from Guizhou province, booked a travel guide for a tour for her 10-member family through daoyounet.com, a tourism platform in Guilin, on July 13. Guilin is a pilot city for offering travel guide online reservation services, and Zhang was the first client to use this service.

Hoping to offer more options to tourists, the city has collaborated with nearby areas to launch many cross-regional programs.

According to Zhao, these programs include routes connecting areas in Guilin with regions outside the city.

The cross-regional and cross-industrial tours have helped to extend tourists' stay in Guilin, Zhao said.

Guilin has seen rapid growth in its tourism industry in recent years.

The Party chief noted an important facilitation measure for foreign tourists, a 72-hour visa-free stay in Guilin for transit passengers that hold a valid visa to a third country.

According to the Guilin Tourism Bureau, the city received nearly 45 million tourists last year, compared with 20 million in 2011. This represents average annual growth of 12.5 percent.

Tourism revenue is growing even more quickly, reaching 51.7 billion yuan last year, up 140 percent from 2011.