Green shift provides lifeline for Yunnan's lakes(4)

Eco-tourism circle

The Dianchi and Erhai lakes have seen a resurgence in tourism thanks to the significant improvement in their ecological environment.

Miao Ruiqi, who works at the company that built the Erhai Ecological Corridor project, said that this summer, a peak average of about 120,000 tourists visited the corridor each day.

"Cycling along the ecological corridor has become a popular thing to do and has been promoted heavily online," he said.

Kunming Dianchi National Tourism Resort received 23.68 million visits last year, generating a revenue of 26.2 billion yuan, an increase of 45.58 percent year-on-year, said Yang Peng, chief economist at the resort.

Yang said the emphasis of development around Dianchi used to be real estate and commercial industries, but now the focus has shifted to more eco-friendly industries such as tourism, culture, sports, wellness and health.

Ren Xizhong, deputy director of Kunming's agriculture and rural affairs bureau, said the local government launched a project in February last year to transform and upgrade villages around the lake, aiming to realize rural vitalization through the development of eco-tourism.

"We are developing 46 villages based on their own unique historical and cultural characteristics to create a diverse, well-equipped and distinctive rural eco-tourism circle," he said.

Haiyan, a 600-year-old fishing village, has become an "internet famous" destination for tourists to capture what is touted as "the most beautiful sunset".

Li Tie, Party chief of the working committee of the Dayu subdistrict, said the village is already home to more than 100 businesses, including restaurants, homestays, coffee shops and art studios. These businesses have created more than 300 jobs that pay an average salary of more than 3,000 yuan per month.

Around 98 households in the village rent out their houses, increasing their annual income by an average of more than 100,000 yuan, he said.

Local Xiao Yuan quit her job at a real estate company and joined her mother in running their own store that mainly sells a pea flour dish, which is a specialty in Yunnan.

"We sell about 100 bowls a day on weekdays. On weekends and holidays we can sell up to 300 bowls a day," Xiao said, adding that a bowl sells for 8 yuan.