Hot springs resort helps boost Sanmenxia's tourism industry

Tanghe Hot Springs Resort's VIP Experience Zone in Lushi county, Sanmenxia is currently being decorated and will be able to host over 500,000 visitors annually after it is completed.

The VIP Experience Zone covers an area of 1,149 square meters, including a 214-square-meter reception hall that can accommodate 400 visitors, a 348-square-meter dressing area, a bathing pool, and a natural hot spring area.

According to Tian Wei, president of the Western Henan Grand Canyon Tourism Development, the zone is designed to host 300 visitors during the off-season and 1,000 visitors during peak season and is expected to contribute 100 million yuan ($14.7 million) to the local GDP and provide 500 jobs every year after it opens.

Referred to by locals as the "God-given holy water", the hot springs in Tanghe Hot Springs Resort are rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and microelements. The water has a PH of 9.5. Twenty tons of water flow through two major active vents per hour, maintaining an average water temperature of 49.5 degrees Celsius.

In order to upgrade the springs into a full holiday resort and build a unique tourism brand, the local government signed an agreement with the Western Henan Grand Canyon Tourism Development last year. The two parties agreed to invest a total of 100 million yuan into the project in the years to come.

Ever since the ground-breaking ceremony in mid-2017, the Western Henan Grand Canyon has put more than 30 million yuan into projects related to environmental protection, water treatment around the resort and a hot spring bathing center which opened for free in May this year.