County in Hechi named model for all-for-tourism

Nandan county, Hechi city was recently designated as a model for "all-for-one tourism" development by the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region people's government.

Nandan was the first county in Hechi to receive the honor during the 2018 Guangxi All-For-One Tourism Promotional Conference held last December. It was among the first set of designees in Guangxi.

The county's efforts to upgrade and integrate various tourism resources were recognized at the conference. Authorities also approved of Nandan's improvements in public services, systems, regulations and policies, which have greatly boosted local economic development.

Blessed with abundant natural resources, Nadan has been focusing strongly on tourism development in recent years. More than 5 billion yuan ($727 million) has been invested in the sector since 2016, half of which went into the construction of Danquan characteristic small town.

Last year, a total of 74.8 million yuan was spent on building a tourism distribution center, a tourism consultation service center, an recreational vehicle campsite, and a cultural plaza. Resort toilets were upgraded as well, and there is now free Wi-Fi access in all A-level tourist attractions. (China has a tourism-rating classification system which rates a tourist attraction from 1A to 5A based on its perceived quality.)

The Supportive Measures to Accelerate Tourism Development in Nandan County and the Three-Year Action Plan for Developing an All-For-One Tourism Demonstration Zone (2018-2020) in Nandan County were issued in 2018.

Incentives encouraging the flow of capital into the development and operation of A-level tourist attractions, star-rated tourist hotels, travel agencies and tourism commodities in Nandan were introduced. Special subsidies for the tourism industry will be allocated annually to the tune of more than 50 million yuan, and that figure will increase by more than 10 percent every year.

According to a local official, there are five tourism attractions being developed in accordance with 4A-level national standards. They consist of cultural attractions, hot springs, terraced landscapes, natural scenery, and farming-related activities. Also in development are a forest park, a wetland park and a water conservancy scenic area, all proposed as national-level areas.