Agriculture tourism flourishes in Yichang
2023-07-22 19:07:38
By Yan Wanqin, Yichang International Communication Studio
In Yichang, a variety of rural tourism activities connected to agriculture provide opportunities to sample the charm of the countryside, and villagers have seen an increase in income as a result.
In the past month, Xingshan County has seen a growth in agricultural product sales, and a boom in income from tourism-based services, such as B&Bs and farmer family restaurants.
Photo by Yuan Xuanguo.The county’s Plum Orchard Opening Ceremony has played an important role in these recent developments. Plum fruit trees thrive along the banks of the Gufu River in Xingshan. Over the past few days, tourists have taken part in plum picking activities, enjoying the beauty of local rivers and staying in B&Bs while eating feasts from local farmers.
Photo by Yuan Xuanguo.
With the arrival of the summer tourism season, business has picked back up for Zhang Li’s family restaurant in Zhenzi Town, Xingshan County. Recently, the restaurant serves more than 30 tables a day at its peak.
Zhang, once a mid-level manager in a Guangdong company, quit his job a few years back to start a business at home. Driven by the growth of agriculture-related tourism, the number of B&Bs and farmer’s family restaurants in Zhenzi Town has reached 85.
In recent years, transport infrastructure in Xingshan has been greatly improved, and the number of visitors has steadily climbed.
In the first half of this year, Xingshan received 3.89 million tourists, an increase of almost 35 percent year-on-year. The total tourism income reached 2.62 billion yuan (US$366.95 million), up nearly 30 percent year-on-year. More than 50,000 residents of the county have benefited from the influx in tourism.
Another county of Yichang, Wufeng, has a long history of tea. In recent years, Wufeng has developed its industry as its No.1 pillar.
On March 17, the 2023 Wufeng Spring Tea Opening Festival was held at Qinggangling Ecological Tea Garden, where tea merchants and tourists from all over the country gathered to pick tea and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Relying on the tea industry, tea culture and rich tourism resources, Wufeng has developed a model integrating tea culture and tourism, with a total output value of more than 5 billion yuan since 2018.
Peach growing has a long history in Yichang's Zhijiang, a county-level city. Zhijiang Peach Blossom Art Festival is one of the most famous spring tourism branded events in Hubei province, and has been held 21 times since 2002.
During every Peach Blossom Art Festival, tourists come to enjoy the flowers. "We have an annual income of nearly 60,000 yuan per year," said Zhang Yonghong, owner of a farmer's family restaurant in Anfusi Town, where the festival is held each year.
Yichang’s Yuan’an County is known for its unique rice-crayfish farming system, which works by growing rice and raising crayfish within the same paddy field, creating a mutualistic relationship. It is not only more productive and eco-friendly, but has also increased the local farmers’ income.
On June 3 and 4 this year, tourists flocked to Yuan'an County's 2023 Crayfish Fishing Festival to enjoy the fun of crayfish fishing, taste the special food and enjoy the idyllic scenery.
Thanks to the integrated development of agriculture and tourism in Yuan’an, 19,000 farmers are benefiting from its success.
In the first half of this year, Xingshan received 3.89 million tourists, an increase of almost 35 percent year-on-year. The total tourism income reached 2.62 billion yuan (US$366.95 million), up nearly 30 percent year-on-year. More than 50,000 residents of the county have benefited from the influx in tourism.
Another county of Yichang, Wufeng, has a long history of tea. In recent years, Wufeng has developed its industry as its No.1 pillar.
On March 17, the 2023 Wufeng Spring Tea Opening Festival was held at Qinggangling Ecological Tea Garden, where tea merchants and tourists from all over the country gathered to pick tea and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Relying on the tea industry, tea culture and rich tourism resources, Wufeng has developed a model integrating tea culture and tourism, with a total output value of more than 5 billion yuan since 2018.
Peach growing has a long history in Yichang's Zhijiang, a county-level city. Zhijiang Peach Blossom Art Festival is one of the most famous spring tourism branded events in Hubei province, and has been held 21 times since 2002.
During every Peach Blossom Art Festival, tourists come to enjoy the flowers. "We have an annual income of nearly 60,000 yuan per year," said Zhang Yonghong, owner of a farmer's family restaurant in Anfusi Town, where the festival is held each year.
Yichang’s Yuan’an County is known for its unique rice-crayfish farming system, which works by growing rice and raising crayfish within the same paddy field, creating a mutualistic relationship. It is not only more productive and eco-friendly, but has also increased the local farmers’ income.
On June 3 and 4 this year, tourists flocked to Yuan'an County's 2023 Crayfish Fishing Festival to enjoy the fun of crayfish fishing, taste the special food and enjoy the idyllic scenery.
Thanks to the integrated development of agriculture and tourism in Yuan’an, 19,000 farmers are benefiting from its success.
