As one of the five pillar industries in southwest China?s Yunnan Province, the tourism sector earned 25.6 billion yuan (US$3.09 billion) last year, accounting for 12.5 percent of the province?s gross domestic product (GDP). The industry employs 1.45 million workers and lured 520,000 foreign and 24.2 million domestic tourists in the first five months of this year.

To develop tourism, Yunnan sticks to the strategies of promoting characteristic tours, establishing famous tourism brands, diversifying markets and sustainable development. The Program of Yunnan Tourism Development was drawn up with cooperation of experts from the World Tourism Organization and tourism resources were explored and arranged through the program of ?one center, five sections, six designed routes, eight special products and three travel circles. ?

Under provincial government leadership, state-owned, collective, private and foreign-run companies engage in tourism business together.

Yunnan has 9,327 tourism units with fixed assets of 32.371 billion yuan (US$3.9 billion) and attracts over 45 million travelers yearly. Some 224 tourism resorts have opened for business and a group of famous tourism brands are cultivated such as the Ancient City of Lijiang, Forest Stones, Shangri-La, Xishuangbanna and Dali.

The rapid development of tourism has helped ethnic minorities in depressed areas shrug off poverty and get rich, as well as promote environment protection. At the same time, a large number of tourists help enhance the circulation of capital and information, and accelerate Yunnan?s opening to the outside world.

(china.org.cn by Feng Yikun, July 26, 2002)