Southwestern China’s Sichuan province, which is already a top draw for tourists from around the world, is taking measures to attract still more visitors.

By the end of 2020, the province will build an ecological travel route that incorporates major panda tourism sites, including the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Dujiangyan Panda Base. Beyond panda bases, the province plans to build urban leisure resorts and creative industrial zones to promote sightseeing and ecotourism.

According to the plan, the panda resort near the Chengdu base will be expanded to 800 mu (53.3 hectares). Highways linking the bases will also be upgraded to provide tourists with a smoother ride.

Sichuan’s fourth giant panda survey in 2015 found that the province was home to 1,387 wild giant pandas, accounting for almost 74.4 percent of the country's total. The province had over 2 million hectares of natural habitat for giant pandas, or 78.7 percent of China’s total.