City upgrade to put Guizhou on the global tourist map

For Malaysian tourist Angie Duarte, her visit to Guiyang, in Guizhou province, was like a dream come true.

After three days, she knew all the names of local dishes and snacks and could even sing the city's theme song.

Guiyang's ethnic culture, pleasant climate and natural environment have made the city a top tourism hub in the province, just after Huangguoshu, the biggest waterfall in Asia.

In recent years Guiyang tried to boost the tourism industry by strengthening the city's infrastructure and facilities to establish a systematic industry chain.

"Eco-civilization is the concept we are using to pursue social and economic development", said Zhao Kezhi, chief of the CPC Guizhou committee, during the annual session in 2013.

"Any development projects that have the possibility of damaging our environment will be shut down," Zhao added.

The fresh air and green environment not only bring more business opportunities for the province, but also make Guizhou an ideal place to travel.

Guiyang's temperature remains pleasant in both summer and winter and the diverse ethnic cultures make the city even more popular with tourists.

Unlike many Chinese cities that suffer from air pollution, Guiyang enjoys clean air due to its abundant forests.

Guiyang's tourism industry made 845 million yuan ($138.5 million) in 2006. By 2013, the number had jumped to 72.8 billon yuan, almost 10 times higher than 7 years before.

Since 2013, Guiyang has strived to boost the big data and high-end technology industries as the city's senior officials believe it could help the tourism industry go further.

"In the past, the lack of information that properly displayed Guiyang's tourism attractions slowed the development down.

"With big data and the smart travel plans we are currently working on, travelers will be able to find everything they need online which will boost both the province and Guiyang's tourism industry", said Chen Gang, chief of the CPC Guiyang committee.

Traffic used to be one of the biggest concerns for the local tourism industry to bloom in the mountainous area.

The capital city implemented a series of projects to strengthen its traffic network, such as new terminal for Guiyang Longdongbao international airport and high-speed railway connecting Guiyang to South China's Guangzhou province.

According to the development plan, 120 hotels will be renovated to provide better service by 2017 and luxury hotels will also be introduced.

"Our goal is to make sure Guizhou becomes an interactive tourism destination, not just a pit stop", said Fu Yingchun, director of Guizhou tourism bureau. He added that the province was looking to expand its tourism market overseas.

"We have held many events in Japan, France and Germany to help overseas travelers discover the beauty in our province and hopefully start their journey here," he said.

zhaokai@chinadaily.com.cn