East China’s Jiangsu province has stepped up its efforts for the promotion of holistic tourism that has been gaining momentum in the world as more and more travelers try to search for activities and programs that bring balance in the body, mind and spirit to their lives.
Wang Quan, a boat man in the lotus scenic spot of Jinhu County, is in charge of transporting dozens of visitors to and from the lake areas each day between June and October.
Back in 2010, the lotus scenic spot was accessible to visitors for the two summer months only as it was in the early stage of operation, said Wang, adding that the roads around the scenic spot was underdeveloped, making it difficult for the visitors to get inside the lake areas.
In recent years, authorities in Jinhu County have stepped up their efforts for the promotion of holistic tourism by launching more interactive programs, increasing the supply of tourist products, and opening more agritainment restaurants so that the tourists can afford the time to taste the delicious food there. Last year, the country received 2 million tourists with the tourist revenue topping 2 billion yuan. It has therefore ranked the province’s first batch of eight national demonstration zones for holistic tourism.
Endowed with a number of historical and cultural attractions, Nanjing has always been a popular tourist destination but under the impact of the transformation from tourism to leisure vacation, the revenue from admission ticket sales has been at stake.
Spearheaded by holistic tourism, Nanjing has made greater efforts for the promotion of the scenic area services and the improvement of the street environment so as to ensure that the cultural street blocks in the southern urban areas, the giant bao’en temple, the imperial examination museum, the eye of Nanjing and other new landmarks have turned out to be new appeals to more and more visitors.
In recent years, Jiangsu has vigorously promoted the integration of "tourism +" development. 28 tourist attractions have been listed among the National Demonstration Zone of Holistic Tourism with innovative projects such as vacationing in the countryside, sports and leisure, and health and wellness continuing to emerge in various parts of the province to make the tourists stay in Jiangsu for two days or even more.
