By tf-lawyer.com During an interview on October 18, 2023, Wen Wenxing, the Deputy Secretary of the Qingyuan Municipal Committee and Mayor, highlighted the city’s ambitious plans to enhance its eco-cultural tourism economy. He stated, “Qingyuan is strategically progressing with the development of the Beijiang Ecological (Cultural Tourism) Economic Belt, the Lingnan Ethnic Cultural Tourism Corridor, and the Bay Area North Eco-Cultural Tourism Cooperation Zone, all aimed at establishing Qingyuan as a key destination for tourism and leisure within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.”
Located just over 60 kilometers from Guangzhou, Qingyuan is celebrated for its stunning landscapes, featuring clear waters, deep valleys, unique karst caves, and abundant hot springs. The city has earned the title of “Excellent Tourist City in China.” In recent years, Qingyuan has connected its scenic spots to create a cohesive tourism chain, offering new experiences such as rural tourism, cultural trips, and leisure outings, making it a sought-after destination for visitors from across the Greater Bay Area, especially those from Hong Kong, Macau, and abroad.
Wen noted that Qingyuan boasts over 130 open tourist attractions, including 20 rated at 4A or above. The Qingyuan Changlong International Forest Resort is nearing completion, alongside the construction of 71 cultural and tourism projects with a total investment of nearly 60 billion RMB. He remarked, “We are rapidly establishing a new tourism development pattern valued at over 100 billion RMB, centered on ‘One Belt, One Corridor, and One Area.’”
Since the beginning of 2023, Qingyuan has hosted more than 110 cultural and tourism events, including the Qingyuan Tourism Development Conference, the “I Celebrate the New Year in Qingyuan” festival, the 2024 Qingyuan Marathon, and the 2024 Guangdong-Qingyuan Drifting Cultural Tourism Season. These events have attracted a surge of both domestic and international tourists. According to recent data, from January to August 2024, Qingyuan welcomed approximately 13.37 million visitors, marking a 28.7% increase compared to the previous year and generating tourism revenue of 11.91 billion RMB, up by 27.2%.
Notably, canyon drifting has become a highlight of Qingyuan’s tourism offerings, with a significant rise in overseas visitors to its drifting sites this year. The manager of the Gulong Gorge Scenic Area shared, “Gulong Gorge has always been a popular destination for visitors from Hong Kong and Macau. This year, the interest in mountain adventures and drifting has increased even further. We welcomed around 110,000 international tourists, with 83,000 from Hong Kong and Macau, marking a staggering 112% growth.”
Moreover, Qingyuan is tapping into its unique tourism resources to develop eco-friendly wellness retreats, leisure vacations, science education programs, low-altitude flying, and camping experiences. The city is also launching several agritourism projects and has successfully created five national-level rural tourism brands and over 90 provincial-level ones.
On October 19, experts and guests at the conference conducted site visits to key cultural and tourism projects such as the Xile Valley Hot Springs, Gulong Gorge, Beijiang River Cruises, and the Qingxin Sankeng Homestay Cluster.
During the conference, Qingyuan signed over 30 cultural tourism projects with a planned total investment of 15.7033 billion RMB. Well-known companies like Pingchuan China and Shanghai Roman committed to establishing a presence in Qingyuan. Additionally, the conference unveiled the Qingyuan Hot Springs Tourism Map, the Qingyuan Hot Springs Logo, the “Yueqingyuan” WeChat Mini Program, and the “Implementation Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Rural Hotels (Homestays) in Qingyuan.” Currently, there are over 900 unique rural hotels and homestays in Qingyuan, placing it among the top in Guangdong Province.
