Hechi tourism sector to leverage high-speed rail

The Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway passes through Huanjiang Maonan autonomous county. [Photo/Hechi Daily]

Hechi's tourism sector will make use of the advatanges of Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway to upgrate its products and attract more tourists.

According to a press conference held by the Information Office of the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Aug 3, the Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway will commence operation at the end of September.

The Guiyang-Nanning High-Speed Railway is the first high-speed railway in Guangxi with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour. The total length of the railway is 482 km, with 281.37 km of rail located within the autonomous region.

The railway started construction in September 2016, and commenced full line testing in May 2023. The Hechi section of this project includes four stations: Du'an, Yong'an town, Hechi West, and Huanjiang.

Du'an station is located in Du'an Yao autonomous county, which is south of Hechi and the north of Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The design of the station and the plaza incorporates elements of Miluotuo, the goddess of creation in the Yao ethnic culture.

The county's culture and tourism department stated that it will promote the high-speed rail and create related tourism products. Plans are for the county’s tourism industry to transform from traditional landscape tourism to high-end health and wellness retreats.

Liulanglei town is the only Maonan ethnic characteristic commercial and tourism town in the country. It opened in April this year, and welcomed more than 100,000 visitors during the Sanyuesan Festival. Qin Chenzhi, the project manager of the town, said that the town will adjust the commercial planning and layout of the shops based on the advantage of the high-speed rail.