Tourism meeting to focus on rural areas

Promotion of local attractions will be another important part of the meeting, according to Wang, who said that representatives of travel agencies and the media will visit local destinations such as Xiasi ancient town in Kaili city, Basha Miao village in Congjiang county and Zhaoxing Dong village in Liping county.

Xiao Minglong, deputy chief of the government of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, spoke highly of the meeting's role in promoting local attractions.

He said the third Tourism Industry Development Meeting of Guizhou, which was held in Qiandongnan in 2008, successfully presented the Xijiang Miao village to the industry.

The village in the northeast of Leishan county, Qiandongnan prefecture, is referred to as a living museum of the Miao ethnic culture and is listed as one of the top 300 renowned villages in China.

Xiao said the 2008 meeting also marked a beginning for a new era of tourism development in the prefecture, featuring rapid growth, improving infrastructure and services, and involvement of more people and industries.

According to local statistics, Qiandongnan has received 224 million tourists since 2016, generating 191.1 billion yuan in revenue and maintaining an average annual growth of more than 30 percent.

Xiao said rural tourism, which is now a dominant sector in the prefecture's tourism industry, has played an important role in rural development and poverty alleviation.

Since 2017, rural tourism in Qiandongnan has created 21,800 new jobs for local residents, according to Xiao, who added that a total of 95,500 rural residents have increased their incomes through working for or operating tourism and related businesses.

The prefecture-level official said standardization of services, protection of ethnic cultures and use of the latest information technologies will be crucial for ensuring sustainable tourism growth in Qiandongnan.

"Guizhou's tourism authority has recently issued three regulations to standardize the industry," Xiao said, noting "We will use these regulations to improve tourism services and facilities".

He also said that a number of smart tourism platforms will be established to make tours in Qiandongnan more convenient.