China's first ever regional tourism investment plan passed
evaluation by specialists recently in Beijing. Entitled, The Plan
for the Investment in Western Regional Tourism, sponsored by the
State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC),
State Tourism
Administration and the State Council's Office for the Leading
Group of Western Regional Development, is expected to serve as
guide and basis for the development of China's western tourism.
The expert panel, responsible for the plan's appraisal, is composed
of experts and scholars from the State Council's Development
Research Center, China International Engineering Consulting
Corporation (CIECC), Peking
University, and Beijing Tourism Group. After repeated discussion
and evaluation, it was unanimously approved.
Deputy director of the State Tourism Administration, Gu Chaoxi,
gave a highly positive assessment of the plan at the approving
ceremony, adding that China's most abundant tourist resources are
in western and central China, where the protection and development
of tourist resources are to be given top priority in tourism
development. He expects that the plan for the investment in western
regional tourism will play an important role in the investment of
tourism for the whole western region.
The task of working out the plan was entrusted to professional
organs through public bidding, and the work took a year, starting
at the beginning of 2002.
Areas involved in the plan are divided into northwest and southwest
regions, which is consistent with regions covered by the western
development strategy. Of them, the northwest region consists of
Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and
Yanbian Prefecture of Jilin, and the southwest region consists of
Tibet, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Chongqing, Guangxi, Enshi
Prefecture of Hubei, and Xiangxi Prefecture of Hunan.
The Investment Research Institute of the SDRC and Zhongshan
University undertook the task of working out the plan for the two
regions. After accepting the task, the two units organized experts
to research the region and carry out a survey. With active local
government cooperation, the planning and supplementary materials
were submitted for evaluation at the start of 2003.
The plan puts forward problems that need observation in a five-year
period (2003-2007).
Details of the plan include that tourism of the northwest region
should be developed with the Silk Road cultural tourism route, the
great deserts, the Yellow River and pastures. The Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau eco-tourism district should be developed and invested in,
while the southwest region should develop natural and ethnic
eco-tourism including the Chongqing-Sichuan-Guizhou golden triangle
eco-tour district, southeastern Guizhou-western Hunan and western
Hubei eco-tour district. This would feature culture and customs of
the ethnic minorities and Grand Shangri-La tourism district
featuring the culture of ethnic minorities and the plateau
landscape; Zhujiang Delta-eastern Guangxi-northern Guangxi golden
tourism belt; the Lancang River-Mekong River transnational tourism
district, featuring culture and customs of ethnic minorities as
well as tropical landscapes.
The plan selects 60 major investment items with emphasis on
infrastructure and subsidiary construction by local governments.
Socially funded projects are welcome too.
Experts believe that the plan will play an important part in the
optimization of investment in western regional tourism.
After the completion of the plan, work for similar plans in central
and eastern regions of China will begin, in succession, according
to officials from the State Tourism Administration; the aim being
to promote tourism investment and increase tourism development.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, March 28, 2003)