Scenic sites in southwest China's Yunnan Province, famed for its rich biodiversity, are once again bustling with tourists, thanks to effective containment of Covid-19 outbreaks and strong policy stimulus.
A dozen tourist coaches were spotted at a parking lot in Dianchi Lake in the provincial capital, Kunming.
Wei Fangfang, a tour guide on one of the buses, said that she was leading a 20-member tour group from Chongqing Municipality. In addition to Kunming, their itinerary covers scenic spots in the province's Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.
From June 29 to July 6, Dali logged more than 1.39 million tourist visits. Since July, an airport in the province's Xishuangbanna, known for tropical forest reserves, has handled an average of 15 000 passengers a day.
Tang Zhiming, in charge of the Yunnan tourism automobile association, said the tourism market in Yunnan has been on a path of recovery since June. Some car hire companies have had to add vehicles to their fleets to serve the increasing demand.
The province boasts rich tourism resources, including unparalleled natural scenery, ethnic culture and world heritage sites such as the Old Town of Lijiang.
The “Impression Lijiang” show, which features live performances in a scenic setting at the foothills of Yulong Mountain, has seen its daily tourist numbers near 4 000.
The provincial government has rolled out a series of cultural and tourism consumption incentives worth 111 million yuan (R283m), including 80 million yuan of tourism consumption vouchers.
Chen Shuyun, deputy director of the Yunnan department of culture and tourism, said the province's tourism market had regained vitality and was expected to recover rapidly.