Two Taizhou locations among national key rural tourism sites

Two locations in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, Houan village in Tiantai county and Danzhu township in Xianju county, were recently listed among national key rural tourism destinations.

Houan village

Houan village has witnessed robust growth in its tourism sector in recent years. The village is renowned for the development of its homestay sector.

It is now home to 82 homestays, with more than 2,000 beds and the ability to accommodate up to 5,000 diners.

Last year, the village received 1.17 million tourists, generating an average income of 280,000 yuan ($43,076.9) for homestays and a collective economic income of 5.8 million yuan.

Its reputation as a tourism site has been greatly enhanced after hosting several national sports events, including motorcycle races and gas volleyball competitions.

Official statistics show that Houan hosted 21 events, which attracted 9,300 visitors to stay overnight.

Danzhu township

Danzhu township's renown as a tourist destination has also risen due to its rich tourism resources.

Situated in the core area of the national 5A Shenxianju Scenic Spot, Danzhu's forest coverage ratio stands at 91.3 percent and it is dubbed a "natural oxygen bar".

Official data showed that the township welcomed more than 3 million visitors in 2020, generating an average income of over 150,000 yuan for villagers.

In 2015, Yu Wenwu, a local resident who used to run a business in Changshu, a county-level city in East China's Jiangsu province, returned to Danzhu and opened a homestay with an investment of over 10 million yuan.

Yu's success inspired many people like him to follow suit. As of 2020, the number of people getting involved in the tourism sector surpassed 4,500 in the township.

To deal with the influx of visitors, which may pose a threat to Danzhu's environment, local authorities adopted a "green currency" system in 2015 to promote an eco-friendly lifestyle among visitors and residents.

The green currency is an incentive used to award people who lead a low-carbon green lifestyle, which can later be traded for goods or real money.