Sichuan to build panda eco-tourism loop routes

Sichuan Province will foster a number of giant panda-themed tourism brand clusters in the next four years, according to a tourism development plan to integrate Sichuan into the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

The plan, released by Sichuan Provincial Tourism Development Committee, says that the province will develop a panda tourism industrial chain based on Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, with panda towns, panda forests and panda camps built to form panda eco-tourism loop routes.

Under the plan, an outdoor paradise for pandas in Wolong will be established as a tourism brand to expand European and American markets.

A series of tourism products will be developed around panda nature reserves in the Minshan and Qionglai mountain ranges to intergrate Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Wolong Bifengxia Wildness Training and Research Base and wild panda exploration tours, so as to form a unique panda home in the world.

The province will promote the expansion of panda World Heritage site and shape panda eco-tourism loop routes.

Sichuan aims to secure 1.2 trillion yuan in tourism revnues by 2020, with an annual growth of over 16 percent, according to the plan.

Domestic and inbound tourists are expected to exceed 110 million and 4.75 million, respectively.