Yangzhou rural tourism regains popularity

Visitors feed animals at the Yonglong International Ecological Park in Jiangdu district, Yangzhou. [Photo/xhby.net]

With China's tourism and urbanization booming rapidly in recent years, the agritainment (farm-based entertainment) business in east Yangzhou's Jiangdu district is undergoing a honeymoon period after years stagnation. 

After several surveys across the country, Jiangdu district forged a way out of the dilemma, by creating a new agritainment industry featuring harmonious combinations of health preservation and local culture. 

A typical example is the Yangzhou Yonglong International Ecological Park, which takes advantage of the area's underground water resources which maintains a temperature of 70 C and is rich in minerals. 

The park is now equipped with water parks, hot springs, standard swimming pools, zoos, hotels and areas designated for local cultural familiarization, ready to offer all-round tourism services.

At its first hot spring tourism festival on April 29, first day of the Labor Day holiday, the park attracted thousands of tourists from surrounding cities like Nanjing and Taizhou and had all its hotel rooms booked. 

Zhang Hua from Taizhou, Yangzhou's neighboring city, said his family enjoyed trying out various recreational facilities and watching folk cultural performances at the park. 

Mu Shangjun, deputy director of the Jiangdu tourism administration, was glad to see local agritainment regaining momentum. 

Mu said the park's "water" story on one hand displayed distinctive local culture, and on the other, boosted economic development and inspired more local residents to start their own businesses.

The Yonglong International Ecological Park in Jiangdu district, Yangzhou, holds the first hot spring tourism festival on April 29. [Photo/xhby.net]