QIANDONGNAN SEES ROBUST TOURISM GROWTH ALONG CHINA'S RURAL TOURISM HIGHWAY 1

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- China's Rural Tourism Highway 1 has welcomed over 25 million visitors and generated a tourism revenue of more than 12 billion Chinese yuan, showcasing the vigorous development of tourism in Qiandongnan, in the first eight months of this year. (100 Chinese yuan = RM60.62)

This is according to the data from the Bureau of Culture, Sports, Broadcast-TV, and Tourism of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province.

Located in the southwest of China, Qiandongnan is praised as the last refuge for the weary human spirit for its ecological and cultural treasures such as Yuntai Mountain, Xijiang Miao Village and Village Super League.

To enable tourists to experience the charm of these treasures all at once, China's Rural Tourism Highway 1 was jointly launched by Qiandongnan Prefecture and Chinese National Geography in September 2023.

It aims to integrate with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, serving as an important step for rural revitalisation and East-West Pairing-off Cooperation for Poverty Reduction, according to a statement.

With a total length of 2,180 kilometres, the highway includes the Miao and Dong Cultural Route, Cultural and Natural Scenery Route and Terraced Fields Scenery Route, running through 16 counties (cities), featuring natural scenery, minority villages and sports events.

Since the launch of the Boutique Tourism Loop of Traditional Villages in Dong Township, part of the Miao and Dong Cultural Route, Zhaoxing Dong Village and 12 surrounding villages have welcomed 787,200 visitors and generated a tourism revenue of 702 million Chinese yuan from January to August 2024, benefitting the locals and promoting economic development.

To further explore tourism resources along the highway, Qiandongnan has created China's first premium road trip route for women and established a system of slow-paced travel on scenic highways in the region.

For future plans, Qiandongnan will continue to develop tourism towards the goal of building a world-class ethnic cultural tourism destination based on China's Rural Tourism Highway 1.

-- BERNAMA