Guilin accelerates world-class tourism city construction

A conference on Guilin's cultural tourism development is held on Feb 14. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Guilin in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is accelerating its efforts to become a world-class tourism city, Guilin officials announced during a conference on cultural tourism development on Feb 14.

Officials said that turning Guilin into a world-class tourism city is a rare opportunity for its development, with the city focusing on sectors spanning tourism, culture, medicine, and consumption.

World Natural Heritage sites in Guilin like the Lijiang River will be further upgraded and the Yulong River will be built into a world-class tourism resort. The city will also focus on attracting prestigious domestic hospitals to accelerate the construction of a world-class cosmetic medical center, as well as a regional medicine and treatment center.

Themed towns centered around international e-sports, mountains, and hot springs will be set up in Guilin. In addition, the city will strive to build duty-free stores, as well as high-end relaxation and shopping centers with world's famous brands in both old and new urban areas. 

The old downtown areas in Guilin will pay more attention to protecting historical and cultural features, adding more green spaces, as well as promoting urban renovation, while the new city areas shall strive to be more fashionable and modern, boasting international schools and domestic first-level hospitals, with the goal of being demonstration areas for the integration of modern industry and urban development. 

Scenic areas in Guilin are encouraged to launch innovative tourism products, such as night tours and online viral attractions. In addition, more national-owned parks will open for free.

Gan Lin, head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, spoke highly of Guilin's efforts in coordinating COVID-19 containment with the revival of its cultural tourism industry in 2021.