Integration of culture, tourism gives impetus to China’s rural vitalization

China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and five other departments recently issued a guideline on promoting the development of cultural industries in a bid to advance rural vitalization, with the integration of culture and tourism listed as one of the key fields that can help boost rural vitalization.

Photo shows B&B hotels in Zhuyangguan town, Lushi county, Sanmenxia city, central China’s Henan Province. (Photo/People’s Daily)

Rural tourism has offered people great options to spend their holidays and has enriched their choices for trips, becoming an increasingly popular choice for travelers.

To further propel the development of rural tourism, the ministry has continuously improved policies, measures and mechanisms. Grasping the new demands in tourism, local governments have better met the needs of tourists and have driven high-quality development of rural tourism.

By leveraging its geographic proximity to a resort in Yalong Bay, Bohou village in Jiyang district, Sanya city, south China’s Hainan Province has vigorously developed its culture and tourism industry and embarked on a path toward prosperity, according to Su Shaohong, Party chief of the village.

Su stated that the village is now home to 55 B&B hotels with more than 1,700 rooms, which are always fully booked.

“The booming culture and tourism industry in our village, which focuses on B&B hotel business, has boosted the development of other business forms such as retail and catering,” Su explained, adding that more than half of villagers are engaged with the tourism industry.

A tourist picks cherries at Haiyang town, Haigang district, Qinhuangdao city, north China’s Hebei Province. (Photo/People’s Daily)

Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, the B&B hotel industry in China’s rural areas has witnessed steady development by integrating both culture and tourism.

While green mountains and access to lakes, rivers, and the sea are favorable conditions for the development of rural B&B business, rural culture is also a key driving force for the industry , said Lu Fengying, an official with the culture, sports, radio, television and tourism bureau of Anji county, east China’s Zhejiang Province.

Lu pointed out that the B&B industry in the county is becoming increasingly sophisticated, with distinctive B&B hotels attracting large numbers of tourists.

According to Lu, the county has a total of more than 1,300 B&B hotels, including over 120 quality hotels. Three villages in the county are known for their culture-themed B&B hotels.

Over 12 million visits were made to Anji’s rural tourism destinations, generating a total revenue of about 3.2 billion yuan (about $488 million) in 2021.

“Staying at a B&B hotel is not only about enjoying local food, but also about experiencing local culture,” said Shi Weixia, a B&B hotel operator in a village in Anji county.

Li Dan, a tourist from Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang, who stayed at Shi’s hotel during this year’s Spring Festival holiday, was impressed by the strong cultural atmosphere in the village. Li explained that one can hardly experience the unique atmosphere of rural culture in cities.

“Many visitors said that the village brings back lots of their childhood memories. That’s the charm of rural culture,” Shi noted.

Shi’s view was echoed by Guo Zhong, a B&B hotel operator in Dayi county, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

“Running B&B hotel business is more about enabling tourists to learn about local customs and culture, said Guo, adding that the hotel has rolled out a variety of cultural activities to attract tourists.

Experts believe that the culture and tourism industry in rural areas can effectively promote the integrated development of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries and bolster rural development. By introducing more high quality cultural tourism products, the culture and tourism industry will inject more momentum into the process of rural vitalization.