Diversified tourism spurs new growth in China's Three Gorges Reservoir area

CHONGQING -- Colorful tourism scenarios have diversified the pastime experiences in China's Three Gorges Reservoir area, spawning new consumption growth.

Tourists can now visit the area by water, land, or air. Fengjie county of Southwest China's Chongqing municipality introduced low-altitude helicopter tours this year, providing a fresh angle for holiday-goers to admire the scenery of Kuimen, a gateway to the steepest gorges of the Yangtze River, the longest river in China.

"The Three Gorges Reservoir area boasts both natural scenery and an abundance of historical and cultural heritages. It's a great thing to see with my own eyes the magnificent views here, which are frequently mentioned in ancient Chinese poetry," said Zhang Lu, a tourist.

Tours are also no longer confined to the daytime. At night, the area feeds people's eyes with a cliff light show in Wushan county or a brightly lit ancient street in Wanzhou district, to name a few.

"Compared with my previous tour to the Three Gorges Reservoir area a decade ago, infrastructures and services have been greatly improved in tourist attractions here. Many consumption scenarios are also refreshing," said Tuo Lixin, a tourist from neighboring Hunan province.

A total of 59 scenic spots have been newly rated as national A-level tourist attractions in the Three Gorges Reservoir area in Chongqing over the past 5 years. In 2023, the area in Chongqing alone welcomed about 11.26 million overnight tourists and secured a tourism-added value of about 21.62 billion yuan ($3 billion), up 38.2 percent and 9.4 percent year-on-year, respectively.