This aerial photo taken on May 17, 2023 shows the summer scenery of Lanyue (Blue Moon) Valley in Lijiang, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)
BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from the Chinese tourism industry and academia recently stated that they would make efforts to promote the transformation of the industry towards green and low-carbon development in post-pandemic era, reported Chinanews.com.
They made the remarks at a tourism development forum held in Tengchong, southwest China's Yunnan Province on May 19.
China's tourism sector, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen strong rebound since the country eased response and control measures in January.
During the May Day holiday, Chinese people made 274 million domestic trips, soaring 70.83 percent from the same period of last year and up about 19 percent from 2019. Tourism revenue reached 148.06 billion yuan, surging 128.9 percent from last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Meanwhile, people's demands for tourism have changed with COVID-19 impacts wearing thin.
In post-pandemic era, the public craves for more boutique, niche, sustainable, and green small group trips that enable close contact with the nature. This projection made by the Switzerland's official tourism board Switzerland Tourism for its tourism industry also mirrors the characteristics of the current Chinese tourism market, according to Ge Lei, chief cultural and tourism expert of China CYTS Tours Holding Co., Ltd (600138.SH).
He said that many provinces and cities across China have already explored paths to green, low-carbon, and sustainable tourism development. For example, east China's Zibo, a city recently famous for its iconic barbecues, has been promoting the use of smokeless ovens in barbecue for years.
Lou Kewei, deputy director of Yunnan provincial department of culture and tourism, held that low-carbon tourism conforms to the needs of the times and is an inevitable trend of tourism development.
Outstanding low-carbon tourism brands and projects such as Songtsam Tours, Tiger Leaping Gorge Camp Shangri-La, and Fuxian Lake plateau sailing base have emerged in Yunnan, although the province faces challenges like insufficient funds for low-carbon campaigns, lack of talents, and underdeveloped supporting infrastructure. (Edited by Su Dan with Xinhua Silk Road, sudan@xinhua.org)
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