On July 6, the signing ceremonies for key cultural tourism projects, tourism cooperation cities, digital cultural tourism, tourism publicity and marketing cooperation were launched at the first Xiangxi Tourism Development Conference. A total of 54 cultural tourism projects worth 74.3 billion yuan were attracted to Xiangxi, and 15 projects worth 55.7 billion yuan were signed on the spot.
In 1992, an event known as “The Mengdong River International Rafting Month” was held in Yongshun County of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, laying a foundation for the development of local eco-cultural tourism. Through 30 years of advancements, the tourism industry of Xiangxi has transformed from “hidden in the mountains and unknown to the people” to “enjoying world-wide popularity”, embarking on a path of “boosting industries and increasing people’s income through one prosperous industry”. Thanks to tourism industry, more than 500,000 people have been employed and 102,000 residents have been lifted out of poverty. The added value of Xaingxi’s tourism industry has soared to more than 15% of the regional GDP, and the tertiary industry with tourism as the focus has contributed over 70% to the growth of GDP.
On the theme of “Red Landmark in the New Era, Tourism Pacesetter of Wuling Mountain”, the first Xiangxi Tourism Development Conference was committed to creating a high-level and characteristic conference featuring wide participation, resource sharing, achievements display, mutual exchanges, innovation, publicity and promotion. By presenting local scenery, culture and life, Xiangxi is endeavoring to develop a cultural tourism industry with an output value of 100 billion yuan and renowned tourist destinations at home and abroad. In addition, tourism boutique routes, festival activities, cultural and creative products, digital collections, investment projects were also released at the conference.
