Lucid waters and lush mountains add charm to amazing Yunnan
Bearing in mind the philosophy of lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, Yunnan people have embarked on a road to develop an eco-tourism industry.
Located on the shores of Erhai Lake, the town of Shuanglang is regarded as one of the most beautiful places in western Yunnans Dali Prefecture. It has amazing natural and cultural landscapes. Every year, thousands of tourists visit the town, bringing a quick increase to the number of guesthouses. Now, there are about 600 guesthouses in the town.
However, the coming of tourists not only spurred economic growth in Shuanglang, but also affected the ecological environment. In recent years, a disordered tourism-related service industry began to pose treats to the environment. In early 2017, Erhai Lake even faced the risk of eutrophication. Since then, a campaign has been launched to protect the lake.
In two years, Shuanglang people have made great achievements regarding environmental protection. We have built sewage interception facilities, regulated the hotel and catering market, returned wetlands to the lake and controlled the agricultural diffused pollution, said Shi Guodong, deputy director of the Shuanglang Old Town Scenic Area Management Committee. Measures were also taken to end the extensive development of tourism and improve tourism infrastructure. These efforts were all made to offer a better tourism experience.
In Dali, an old saying goes Dali thrives as Erhai Lake gets cleaner. Since early 2017, the water quality of Erhai Lake is getting better. In 2018, the quality had been kept at Grade II for seven months. And Shuanglang has become more amazing and popular among tourists.
Puzhehei National Wetland Park is situated in Qiubei County in southeast Yunnan. Up to now, Qiubei has invested 280 million yuan for environmental protection initiatives in Puzhehei. Xianrendong is a small but beautiful village with 196 households inside the park. Now, most villagers are involved in the tourism sector. They say that only a better environment can draw more tourists to Xianrendong. People there are longing for a better life as the ecological environment is being improved.
Ecological protection also adds vitality to the development of Colorful Yunnan Ancient Dian Kingdom Culture Tourism Town. It is located beside Dianchi Lake in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan province. Its ecology + culture +tourism development mode is gaining popularity among tourists. In 2018, the number of visitors to the town increased from 2.4 million to 3 million people annually.
