评论
打印
Southwest China's Sichuan Province is famous for its rich tourism resources. Although the earthquake last May has been a destructive punch to the tourism industry there, it has gradually recovered from the depth of the depression. He Fei has more.
Reporter:
In this early spring, Dujiangyan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well-known tourist attraction near the provincial capital Chengdu, is welcoming tourists from around the country.
It's like the Venus de Milo, with scars but still attractive.
Guo Yi and her friends are from Beijing. They have come to Dujiangyan for a holiday.
"We came because we really worry about the situation here after the earthquake. I should say Sichuan is absolutely beautiful and it is a pity that Dujiangyan such a beautiful scenic spot was spoiled by the earthquake." (female)
Like Guo Yi, many people have come to witness the traces that the earthquake made last May. As one of the worst quake-hit areas, the Dujiangyan scenic spot was closed off to the public until last September.
Ji Yanli is vice marketing director of the Dujiangyan scenic spot.
"According to our data, from the day of the city re-opening to the last day of 2008, the total volume of travellers has recovered to about 80 percent of the same period in 2007. We are really happy to see a result which is much better than we anticipated. We can feel that people care about our world heritage."
To help revive the tourism industry, the local government has launched a series of projects including promotion packages during the Spring Festival season which has attracted more than 16 million people.
As spring is coming, many travel agencies have designed new routes to attract more people.
Duan Hong is an official from China International Travel Service Sichuan Branch.
She is really busy these days, because many people telephone her to ask for travel information. Last year was a nightmare for her company but now she is quite optimistic about the business this year.
"Last year was really bad for us due to the disaster. Our business scale shrunk more than 70 percent compared to our average level. But as now we've readjusted our products, the situation is getting better and we hope it'll be a prosperous year for us."
According to the provincial tourism bureau, in May of this year, all the scenic spots in Sichuan will have a discount campaign to further promote the industry and more importantly, to reward the love and care Sichuan has received since the earthquake.
On the anniversary of the May 12th earthquake, all the scenic spots in Sichuan will be open to the public for free. And during the whole month, all the entrance fees would be at half price.
He Fei, CRI NEWS.
