Jilin Radio and TV Station:

Recently, Changbaishan Global Geopark was listed in the Global Geoparks network by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). As we know, Jilin boasts a wealth of prestigious tourist sites including Changbai Mountain and Chagan Lake as well as abundant winter tourism resources. What are the province's measures and plans to promote the high-quality development of its tourism industry? Thank you.

Hu Yuting:

Thank you for your attention to Jilin's tourism industry. I'll invite Ms. Yang to answer this question.

Yang Andi:

Thank you for your attention to tourism in Jilin. Representing the origin of tourism in Jilin, Changbai Mountain is a paragon for the development of Jilin's cultural tourism industry. The sacred mountains and waters, powder snow, hot springs and sea of forests have formed an ecological barrier for the Northeast Asia region. Its listing in the Global Geoparks Network by UNESCO signifies that Jilin has more confidence and strength in efforts to build a world-class tourism brand.

We will promote the high-quality development of Jilin's tourism industry through five comprehensive approaches:

First, an all-dimensional layout in the whole province will be built. As you just mentioned, Jilin is a province with abundant tourism resources, good structure, strong differentiation and outstanding advantages when it comes to resources for winter activities. It boasts many hot springs and extensive wetlands, competitive border location conditions and has profound cultural and historical heritage. Though our cultural and tourism industries started relatively late, it developed quickly, from the solo highlight of Changbai Mountain area during the 12th Five-Year-Plan period (2011-2015), to the "core leading pairs" of Changbai Mountain area and Changchun-Jilin tourism economy during the early period of the13th Five-Year-Plan (2016-2020), to the "three growth poles" of the western ice industry center in the middle of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, to the "four engines of growth" after the rise of Tonghua and Meihekou cities during the late 13th Five-Year-Plan period, and then to the building of cities and counties throughout the province with annual GDPs exceeding 100 billion yuan and 10 billion yuan, respectively. Through these efforts, a fully supported spatial layout with diversified development has basically taken shape.

Second, full-season development will be carried out. In terms of different seasons, we will solve the problem of winter tourism by focusing on the local feature of ice and snow, promote innovative development of art and leisure industries and form an industrial model where winter tourism interplays with summer one, they together stimulate spring and autumn tourism, and each season has its own special features.

Third, the whole industrial chain will be promoted. Aiming to build the province both as a winter resort and a summer resort, we will make more efforts to form a double industrial pattern. "5+X" industrial chain with snow and ice sports, tourism, culture, equipment manufacturing and scientific innovation at its core is taking shape. We will also optimize the four traditional business models including summer resorts in mountains, waterfronts, forests as well as rural areas, and highlight the three new types of sectors including health care at summer resorts, study tours and extended stays at summer resorts.

Fourth, we will build a complete product portfolio. In winter, Jilin features ice and snow activities for vacation and leisure purposes, forming a vibrant product ecosystem to appeal to high-end and mass-market tourists at both day and night and throughout the year. In summer, Jilin has built a diversified tourism product system featuring refreshing experiences with its scenic mountains and rivers, tranquil forests, serene countryside, unique culture, leisurely lifestyle and gourmet food. Jilin has also staged an array of well-designed tourism products for autumn and spring, which are themed on seeking the most beautiful fairytale of autumn in Jilin, Changbai Mountain spring snow, and spring blossom appreciation tours.

Fifth, we will provide all-round services. We will continue to improve tourism infrastructure. The six airports in Jilin will have more than 280 air routes by 2025. The opening of the Shenyang-Changbaishan high-speed railway will bring tens of millions of passengers to Changbai Mountain. The province's scenic spots will attain full 5G network coverage to improve service capabilities. At the end of last year, the number of beds in Beidahu Ski Resort reached 8,000, making it the largest single ski resort in Asia in terms of reception capacity. By the end of this year, another 1,000 beds will be added. The number of ice and snow sports instructors has increased from less than 300 when the industry began to 6,417 now. To optimize the market environment, the provincial government took the lead and joined forces with the public security, transportation, commerce, culture and tourism, market regulation and other departments to carry out comprehensive rectification in six key areas, so as to create a convenient, comfortable and safe tourism environment.

Lastly, I would like to sincerely invite all friends from the media to visit Jilin. Jilin is a beautiful province and I am waiting to see you there. Thank you.