Published on : Tuesday, May 12, 2020
At present, China is all prepared to eliminate poverty from all the rural areas of the country by the end of 2020. Of different methods to attain it, developing rural tourism has by far proved to be a successful move in perking up regional economy and developing the livelihoods of the rural people. And Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China is no exception.
A land of 1.6 million square meters, Xinjiang, is known for its magnificent landscapes, distinctive ethnic charms and mouth-watering food, creating a lasting impression on its visitors. In all these years, this amazing place has attracted millions of visitors from home and other countries and is still on the bucket list of many travelers’ to enjoy its mysterious adventures.
Previous to 2016, the regional tourism bureau had introduced a five-year project to boost up the sector. It was done to get 300,000 people out of poverty by 2020. The rich tourism resources of this exotic land have served the purpose successfully.
The ancient village of Tuyoq, situated at the foot of the Flaming Mountain in Shanshan County, remained obscure to the outside world for many years. Some called it a mysterious place in western China. In this place, there are almost 1,380 households, all Uygurs. This place used to be Turpan’s one of the poverty-stricken villages.
However, at present, things are slightly different. With the help of rural tourism businesses, it has successfully raised all of its poor households out of poverty, and turned out to be Xinjiang’s one of the 68 tourism demonstration spots, as per the regional Poverty Alleviation and Development Office.
The village modified from a deprived corner to a tourist attraction, though the journey wasn’t easy. It involved several efforts, starting right from enhancing infrastructure and cleaning the environment to developing shops, homestay properties, food corners and facilities for events and agritainment.
With the progress of tourism, more locals got employed in tourism-related businesses with training. Around 132 women in the village were offered cooking and catering courses, according to local authorities.
Besides, several events with a local flair, like the Apricot Blossom Festival, were organized pull travelers. In 2018, at the foot of the Flaming Mountain, a swimming pool was set up which can hold 2,000 people per day.
The village in 2018 received about 44,000 domestic and international tourists, contributing 3 million yuan (0.42 million U.S. dollars) into tourism revenue.
Tourism has played an “extremely important” role in helping the poor families in China in eradicating poverty, on Saturday, the Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism Li Jinzao said at a press conference.
Li has further mentioned that between 17 and 20 percent of China’s poverty-stricken population have been successfully raised above the poverty line by tapping into the strength of local tourism resources.
Tags: Xinjiang