QIANDONGNAN, China, Oct. 9, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/– From January to August 2024, China’s Rural Tourism Highway 1 has welcomed over 25 million visitors and generated a tourism revenue of more than 12 billion yuan, showcasing the vigorous development of tourism in Qiandongnan, according to the data from the Bureau of Culture, Sports, Broadcast-TV, and Tourism of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province.

Qiandongnan, located in the southwest of China, is praised as the last refuge for the weary human spirit for its ecological and cultural treasures such as Yuntai Mountain, Xijiang Miao Village and Village Super League.

To enable tourists to experience the charm of these treasures all at once, China’s Rural Tourism Highway 1 was jointly launched by Qiandongnan Prefecture and Chinese National Geography in September 2023. It aims to integrate with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, serving as an important step for rural revitalization and East-West Pairing-off Cooperation for Poverty Reduction.

With a total length of 2,180 kilometers, China’s Rural Tourism Highway 1 includes the Miao and Dong Cultural Route, Cultural and Natural Scenery Route and Terraced Fields Scenery Route, running through 16 counties (cities), featuring natural scenery, minority villages and sports events.

Since the launch of the Boutique Tourism Loop of Traditional Villages in Dong Township, part of the Miao and Dong Cultural Route, Zhaoxing Dong Village and 12 surrounding villages have welcomed 787,200 visitors and generated a tourism revenue of 702 million yuan from January to August 2024, benefiting the locals and promoting economic development.

To further explore tourism resources along China’s Rural Tourism Highway 1, Qiandongnan has created China’s first premium road trip route for women and established a system of slow-paced travel on scenic highways in the region. It has also launched the Three Thousands and Three Villages Tourism Route, and a new traveling plan, Have Fun in Qiandongnan, providing tourists with diverse experiences.

For future plans, Qiandongnan will continue to develop tourism towards the goal of building a world-class ethnic cultural tourism destination based on China’s Rural Tourism Highway 1.

Source: Bureau of Culture, Sports, Broadcast-TV, and Tourism of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province