Zhanjiang is taking steps to present itself as the perfect destination for winter-weary travelers

Zhanjiang, the southernmost coastal city of Guangdong province, aspires to take center stage in the Beibu Gulf Rim in the sector of tourism.

Despite the fact that the city boasts a coastline of more than 2,000 kilometers and has more than 140 islands, it is not as well known to domestic and foreign tourists as its neighbors Hainan province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

One can get from Zhanjiang to Hainan Island in about 90 minutes by ferry and it takes about three hours to drive to Guangxi.

Nearly 90 percent of all tourist groups pass through Zhanjiang on the way to these two popular destinations, according to the city's mayor, Wang Zhongbing.

In an example of how Zhanjiang is working to increase its profile among tourists, Wang led a delegation to Northeast China last February, visiting the cities of Changchun, Harbin and Qiqihar to promote the warm southern coastal city as the ideal winter destination for leisure tourism.

"The trip effectively increased the profile of Zhanjiang among tourists from Northeast China, telling them it's more economical to travel to Zhanjiang to enjoy the blue sky and sea that is no less beautiful than Sanya (in Hainan) and Beihai (in Guangxi)," Wang said.

Altogether, 37.83 million tourist trips were made to Zhanjiang in 2016, an increase of 17.7 percent compared to 2015. The tourism industry generated revenue of 35 billion yuan ($5 billion), seeing year-on-year growth of 28.6 percent.

Zhanjiang has set a goal of attracting 38 million tourist trips this year and generating revenue of 38 billion yuan from the tourism industry.

Tourism has become a new engine of economic growth for the city and will be developed into a "strategic pillar industry", according to Peng Hui, head of the Zhanjiang Bureau of Tourism.

She continued: "We will focus on providing more coastal tourism products and promoting Zhanjiang as a winter resort. Our goal is to develop Zhanjiang into the leading city in the Beibu Gulf Rim in the sector of tourism by 2020."

A high-speed rail network is currently under construction to link cities in the Beibu Gulf Rim.

With increasing connectivity and improved communication links, Zhanjiang's government is encouraging the city's tourism agencies to cooperate with their counterparts in Haikou in Hainan, Beihai in Guangxi and Yangjiang in Guangdong to design and launch new products.

The Zhanjiang Bureau of Tourism has also proposed that cities in the Beibu Gulf Rim recommend three or four tourist attractions and offer discounted tickets to visitors choosing the designed route.

xujingxi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 01/16/2017 page24)