Hangzhou to build up the city as a demonstration center in three years

With the development of tourism resources and the expansion of new attractions, Hangzhou is offering more choices and tourism products for tourists around the world who come to the city merely for West Lake. Today, developing a thorough tour has become the key for the future tourism development of the city.

Recently, Hangzhou held the Tourism Development Conference, where the government proposed to speed up the transition and update of the tourism industry in three years, to build Hangzhou as a national tourism demonstration center and an international key tourism leisure center.

Li Hong, director of the Hangzhou tourism commission, believes that the city has created a new pattern of development, which integrates sightseeing, leisure, commercial and various tourism products. In the future, as a city boasting a long history and two world renowned heritages including West Lake and the Grand Canal, Hangzhou will step into the international tourism market, promoting tourism products to meet the needs of tourists both at home and abroad.

There are six key tourism products, including the Liangzhu culture site, the Grand Canal, the Xixi Wetland, West Lake, Linan city (the former capital in the Southern Song Dynasty) and the Xianghu Tourist Area. West Lake, the Grand Canal and the Xixi Wetland stand out as the three tourism products with the most unique features.

According to the Hangzhou tourism commission, Hangzhou will continue to improve the characteristics and quality of the three key tourism products. Efforts will also be made to promote the current tourism products, such as the Xixi fisher tour, the wetland night tour, and the Xixi Wetland ecological science tour and eco-tour. Efforts will also be made to build up new tourism areas such as the Longjing Tea culture tourism and leisure demonstration area and the art and music area around the lake.

In addition, the number of leisure culture experience products will be increased, such as Liangzhu Impression, Jingshan Tea and Buddhism, the Night of Xin'an River, and the cultural performances of the Song Dynasty. Hangzhou also will develop old blocks and houses into cultural themed hotels and homestead houses as a way to protect historic buildings and enrich local tourism. Furthermore, exploiting international tourism complex areas based on old industrial factories has also been listed on the agenda. For the cultural tourism sector, tours themed on Liangzhu culture of the Neolithic Age, the history and culture of the Southern Song Dynasty and the old Grand Canal culture will give the city a competitive edge in the domestic market.

This year, Hangzhou plans to accelerate the construction of greenways on each side of rivers, increasing the length by 100 kilometers, and implement the program of greenway riding area around Qiandao Lake, further boosting the development of full-trailer campsites and rural tourism projects around the city.

To build intelligent tourism programs, Hangzhou will continue to offer free Wi-Fi access in the tourist area and improve network coverage in hotels and tourism areas. In addition, the mobile payment will be largely developed in order to provide tourists with fast and efficient payment for shopping, accommodation and catering.

According to the “Three Years Plan” (2014–2016), the tourism revenue in Hangzhou is expected to reach 300 billion yuan ($48.03 billion) by 2017. The added value to GDP is proposed to increase by 7 percent, with 15 national tourism platforms, three world heritage tourism products and a 5A tourism site established by 2016.

With the 72 hours transit visa-free policy for foreign tourists, new international lines from Hangzhou to tourism cities in Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand will be opened, along with an increased number of international direct flights. Meanwhile, the subsidy policy for providing discounts and Hangzhou tourism products to visitors from Asia and domestic tourists traveling to Hangzhou will be established.

Nowadays, tourists departing from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport can travel to 34 destinations. More flights will be added in 2015, such as direct air routes to the USA and Canada.