Posted 2017/5/14
The city’s West Lake scenic area received 1.733 million tourists during the three-day Labor Day holiday, and the city aims higher. The three-year action plan for tourism and leisure industry transformation and upgrading recently issued expects to receive four million inbound tourists and over 100 million domestic tourists annually by 2017, when the city will become an exemplary city for hosting tourists from home abroad, providing tourist products that integrate sightseeing, leisure and health care, cultural experience and business convention and exhibition.
The first step of internationalization is to enrich the city’s sightseeing elements. The Grand Canal’s urban section will become a top-class scenic area with canal culture features, such as industrial legacy, corridor, boat trip and historic streets by 2017.
The plan also includes the development of health-related tourist products. Taking advantage of the city’s strength in plastic surgery, Chinese medical therapy and health maintenance, products like featured medical treatment, rehabilitation, beauty and healthcare will be developed. Travel routes with such features will also be launched. In addition, nursing homes with sightseeing features will be introduced. The city’s government will also encourage the building of infrastructure to boost such businesses.
Besides, the city endeavors to enhance its public services, including the city-wide network infrastructure, safe and multi-level information highway, and free WiFi coverage in scenic areas, hotels and resorts. By the end of 2015, all middle-to-top-class scenic areas and hotels will construct barrier-free facilities.
The city will accelerate implementation of the 72-hour transit visa exemption policy and improve related services at the airport. The city’s airport will start operating more new international routes to Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand. A direct flight to the US is expected to be launched this year.
