Guizhou province has decided to turn another 1,481 rural villages into tourism villages and upgrade 292 existing rural tourism villages. Rural tourism is an effective means of developing rural areas and increasing the quality of life for villagers.

Statistics show that Guizhou province has 102,000 villages with more than 30 households, only 3,345 of which are rural tourism villages, accounting for 3.27 percent of the total. That is to say, Guizhou has enormous potential for rural tourism. There are many advantages to develope rural tourism in villages. Firstly, rural industry can be adjusted and optimized with the help of tourism resources. Villagers can also get involved in tourism services to increase their income.

The arrival of tourists helps boost local agricultural products and lowers transportation costs. Villagers can invest in the tourism industry to boost development in rural areas and reduce dependence on financial support.

Rural tourism can also help alleviate the large disparity between urban and rural development and increase interaction between the two areas. Tourists from cities bring modern policy, economic and cultural views to rural areas, helping bring villagers into the modern world.

Longjing village is one of the nine planned rural tourism villages in Guiyang city. It is home to the the Bouyei ethnic group in Huaxi district. [Photo/www.dcpp.gog.cn]

Yunpan village is one of the 118 planned rural tourism villages in Anshun city. The European and Japanese-style buildings constructed during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) are well-preserved, making it a cultural relics protection site in Puding county. [Photo/www.dcpp.gog.cn]