Fenghuang and Baojing honored as charming counties of deep breath ecotourism

Recently, the 8th Summer Tourism Culture Festival opened in Huguan County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province. At the opening ceremony, the list of “Charming Counties of Deep Breath Ecotourism in 2023” was announced, with 10 counties, districts and county-level cities in Hunan Province making the list. Fenghuang County and Baojing County in Xiangxi Prefecture are on the list.

Deep breath represents a high-quality ecological environment and a healthy lifestyle. The “2023 Deep Breath Ecotourism Charm Index” was compiled by the Expert Committee of the China Society of Territorial Economists, Beijing Comprehensive Tourism Planning and Design Institute, and China Academy of Culture and Tourism. Based on the evaluation system, the “Charming Counties of Deep Breath Ecotourism in 2023” were selected. The counties in Hunan Province that make the list are Fenghuang County, Baojing County, Yuanjiang City, Wulingyuan District, etc.

In recent years, Fenghuang County and Baojing County have prioritized ecological protection and green development, integrating afforestation, expansion of forest coverage, and improvement of the ecological environment with development of the tourism industry.

In order to welcome the tourism development conference, they have built popular tourist attractions and scenic spots, cultivated rural tourism brands, and continuously developed various tourism products for sightseeing, leisure, vacation, health, and study tours, promoting high-quality development of ecotourism throughout the region. Visitors who have been to Fenghuang and Baojing say that these two places have fresh air for them to take a deep breath. In 2022, Fenghuang County completed afforestation of 21,000 mu (1,400 hectares), built 16 green villages, had a forest land reserve of 1.66 million mu (about 110,666.67 hectares), and achieved a forest coverage rate of 64%. The air quality reached 100% in excellence, and 100% of drinking water sources reached the standard.

Baojing County improved the quality of 10,000 mu (about 666.67 hectares) of forest and completed afforestation of 31,800 mu (about 2120 hectares), with a total standing forest stock of about 5.06 million cubic meters and a forest coverage rate of 70.27%. Wetland protection rate hit 68.69%, and the ratio of excellent air quality days was 96.7%. The water quality of national and provincial assessed sections and urban centralized drinking water sources reached a 100% standard.