Reporters learned from the Xi'an Municipal Tourism Bureau yesterday that the municipal Party committee and government have decided that, aiming to host 100 million domestic tourists, 1.3 million international visitors, and achieve a total tourism revenue of over 80 billion yuan in 2013, Xi'an will roll out a strong series of measures. These include aggressively tapping into the self-drive tour market, distributing tourism benefit packages, advancing standardized tourism services, creating a national comprehensive tourism reform pilot city and a smart tourism city, and making concerted efforts across the city to promote leapfrog development in Xi'an’s tourism industry.
“Travel by High-Speed Rail, Experience Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties”
According to analysis, a significant increase was seen in both the number of tourists received and total tourism revenue in Xi'an during this year's Spring Festival Golden Week, and one key reason was the opening of several high-speed railways. This year, the Xi'an Municipal Tourism Bureau will continue to collaborate with scenic spots, travel agencies, and other tourism enterprises to promote the theme “Travel by High-Speed Rail, Experience Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties” in cities along high-speed lines such as Xijing, Xiguang, and Xizheng. They will launch over 100 tourism projects across four major categories: red tourism, cultural tourism, eco-tourism, and folk tourism. Advertising information will be released in these cities, bus advertisements displayed, public promotions launched, and travel agency routes promoted. Special offers such as “Special Xi'an Tours for High-Speed Rail Passengers” will target passengers, fostering positive interaction with cities along the high-speed rail lines to mutually attract tourists and support each other’s publicity efforts.
“Self-Drive to Xi'an: Fuel Subsidies & Half-Price Tickets”
To actively develop the self-drive tourism market, this year the Xi'an Municipal Tourism Bureau will join hands with cities within a 500-kilometer radius such as Taiyuan, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Yinchuan, Wuhan, and Baoji to establish a self-drive tourism alliance. Premium self-drive routes will be designed, and self-drive vehicles visiting Xi'an will enjoy half-price entry to scenic spots as well as fuel subsidies.
At the same time, self-drive tourism service centers will be established at major highway entrances and exits into Xi'an, providing tourists with free travel consultation and guiding services.
“Leisure Travel to the Provincial Capital”
This year, Xi'an will fully leverage its leading role in driving the province’s tourism industry. It will collaborate with distinctive tourism projects such as the red tourism of northern Shaanxi and the eco-tourism of southern Shaanxi, offering bundled “Leisure Travel to the Provincial Capital” packages to grow Xi'an’s tourism and boost tourism throughout the province.
For local residents, Xi'an will continue to develop the “Happy Life Daily Tour” brand by organizing activities such as spring outings, flower viewing, fruit picking, mountain climbing, summer retreats, cycling, hiking, skiing, and hot springs. Tourism promotion will be taken into districts, communities, and universities. Recreational options around the city such as farm stays and ecological agriculture parks will be incorporated, encouraging receiving units to adopt standardized services. In addition, Xi'an will further improve tourism bus lines around the city, increase bus frequency, and make travel more convenient for residents.
“Temple Fairs in Xi'an & Revisit the Expo Garden”
This year, multiple departments in Xi'an including tourism, religion, culture relics, and culture will collaborate and join forces with districts and development zones to provide financial and promotional support for some distinctive, large-scale, and influential traditional temple fairs in Xi'an. The goal is to build a number of branded temple fairs and promote them in domestic and international tourism markets.
Xi'an will also further enhance the Expo Garden scenic area, leveraging the lasting impact of the Expo, and capitalize on the opening of MP Ba Wetland Park to create a new “MP Ba phenomenon.”
“Major Rewards for Tourism Enterprises, Big Development for Tourism Industry”
This year, Xi'an will implement reward and support policies for districts, counties, and development zones in tourism, offering incentives in areas such as tourism promotion, A-level scenic spot development, rural tourism growth, tourism market regulation, and tourism talent training to those that show outstanding performance in tourism development, thus boosting their enthusiasm.
Xi'an will also enforce target responsibility management in the tourism sector to encourage enterprises to grow stronger. Policies will be implemented to reward travel agencies that rank among the top 100 nationally with 1 million yuan each. A total of 10 million yuan will be allocated annually to reward travel agencies that make outstanding contributions to inbound tourism. Based on last year’s performance, target responsibility agreements will be signed with major tourism enterprises, rewarding and subsidizing those such as scenic spots, hotels, and farm stays that exceed their targets.
“Benefit Packages & Free Shuttle Tours”
To attract tourists, Xi'an will distribute benefit packages worth 50 million yuan to residents within the city and nearby provinces and cities within a 500-kilometer radius. These packages include coupons from scenic spots, hotels, tourism performances, and related businesses.
Currently, the Qujiang New District has launched a free tourist shuttle bus from the west gate of Tang Paradise to the Famen Temple Scenic Area. Building on this, Xi'an will open new free shuttles from the airport and train station to the Terracotta Army, Huaqing Pool, and Louguantai Taoist Cultural Scenic Area.
“Build Tourism Complexes & Expand Leisure & Vacation Zones”
Xi'an will seize the opportunities brought by the implementation of paid leave and the introduction of the National Tourism and Leisure Outline to build tourism complexes along the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains in areas like Lantian, Lintong, Baqiao, Chang’an, Huxian, and Zhouzhi, forming a leisure and vacation belt for Xi'an tourism. Key developments include the Lintong National Leisure Resort, Lantian Tangyu Leisure Resort, Louguantai Taoist Cultural Exhibition Area, as well as 5A-level scenic spots “Zhuque–Taiping” and “Cuihua Mountain–South Wutai.”
“Enhancing Market Regulation & Seeking Breakthroughs through System Innovation”
The healthy development of the tourism industry depends on strict regulation. This year, Xi'an will further strengthen the city-level tourism law enforcement team and establish tourism law enforcement teams in all districts, counties, and relevant development zones to standardize the tourism market order, implement standardized management, deliver distinctive services, and elevate Xi'an tourism’s “soft power.”
The development of the tourism industry requires joint efforts across society. Reporters learned that Xi'an will issue the “Several Opinions on Further Accelerating the Development of Xi'an’s Tourism Industry,” promoting the concept of big tourism and an integrated tourism work framework. While increasing fiscal investment, policies will be introduced to encourage private capital involvement in tourism. Bold institutional innovations will be carried out, including establishing a Tourism Development Committee to shift focus from solely industry management to a dual emphasis on both industry management and industrial development. The comprehensive coordination function of the City Holiday Office will be strengthened, striving to create a national comprehensive tourism reform pilot city. Modern tools will be used for tourism promotion, marketing, and industry management, building a smart tourism city.