China's 'Jurassic Park': Yunnan bets on dinosaurs to power local tourism

Authorities in southwest China's Yunnan Province are betting on dinosaur culture to power local tourism.

The second phase of the "World Dinosaur Valley," a dinosaur-themed park, opened to the public on Sunday in Lufeng County, with a variety of interactive theme programs launched.

The park covers not only entertainment programs, but also the popularization of knowledge about dinosaurs. A lot of dinosaur fossils from the Jurassic Period remain intact in the park.

"The second phase of the park began in 2017, and it covers an area of 240,000 square meters," said Pan Xiong, marketing superviser of the park. "Since the park opened to public in 2008, we have received more than 10 million tourists."

In the new project, tourists can experience themed-programs such as "The dinosaur crisis," during which visitors sit in a "time-travel machine" to go back to the Jurassic world, Pan said. More than 40 entertainment programs have been set up in the park.

Since the first dinosaur fossil was discovered in the county, Lufeng has been shown to have one of the largest numbers of dinosaur fossils in the world.