During the first Kunming International Tourism Festival in China in 2000, several Shanxi tourists sat on the steps in front of the China Pavilion of the World Expo. One of them asked, "What is the most interesting place in China?" "Yunnan!" Several people answered with one voice.
Yunnan has beautiful scenery and is famous for its tourism in recent years. The total tourism revenue increased from 6 1 100 million yuan six years ago to 2110.40 billion yuan last year. Its industrial indicators are closely following Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Fujian and Zhejiang, ranking seventh, and it is moving towards a strong tourism economy.
There is little difference between Yunnan's tourism infrastructure and coastal areas. Since the Seventh Five-Year Plan, the province's infrastructure construction funds have reached tens of billions of yuan, and many high-grade highways leading to major scenic spots have been built one after another. In order to host the '99 Kunming World Expo, 20 billion yuan was invested in infrastructure construction within two years, which promoted the overall upgrading of tourism in the province. Today, the province has built 10 civil airports, making it the province with the largest number of local airports in China; Opened direct flights to major overseas and domestic tourism markets such as Southeast Asia, Japan, Hong Kong and Macao; More than 220 scenic spots were put into reception, among which Shilin and Expo Park were listed as national tourism demonstration scenic spots, and 5 scenic spots such as Yulong Snow Mountain were named as national 4A scenic spots. Kunming, Dali, Jinghong and Ruili were rated as the first batch of excellent tourist cities in China. A fully functional tourism industry system has been formed, including eating, living, traveling, traveling, shopping and entertainment.
The output of tourism has been greatly improved, and the tertiary industry led by tourism has become an important supporting force of the national economy. During the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, the average annual growth rate of important economic indicators of tourism in the province was higher than the national average: the reception of overseas tourists increased by 10.9%, and the foreign exchange income of tourism increased by 15.5%. The average annual growth rate of domestic tourists is 18.8%, and the average annual growth rate of domestic tourism income is 28. 1%, which promotes the leading position of tourism in the western region. The development of tourism has brought a lot of employment opportunities. At present, there are1475,000 direct and indirect employees in the province's tourism industry, accounting for 6.5% of the total employment in the province that year. Tourism has also promoted the great development of commercial trade, transportation, post and telecommunications, catering services and other industries. Since 1999, the tertiary industry, led by tourism, has become the main force driving the sustained economic growth of our province, and its proportion has increased from 30.2% in 1995 to 34.7%.
The development of tourism has accelerated the pace of poverty alleviation for ethnic minorities. In recent years, Fu Bao Village, Guandu District has developed tourism, and built a Fu Bao Cultural City and a water amusement park integrating conference reception, tourism, leisure and cultural exchange. Last year, the national tax paid was nearly 20 million yuan, and the per capita net income of the village exceeded 1 10,000 yuan. Li Cunfa, a farmer in Tuanjie Township, Xishan District, started a "farmhouse tour" and earned nearly100000 yuan in less than one year. With the help of the higher authorities, the "farmhouse tourism" in the township has mushroomed, forming an industrial chain of tofu, pickles, breeding professional households and so on, providing a big market for local agricultural and sideline products.
During the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, more than 5 million people in our province were lifted out of poverty, and many of them solved their food and clothing by developing tourism.
The development of tourism has promoted people's ideological emancipation. In Dali's "foreigner street" Bai restaurant, in the teahouse of Sifang street in Lijiang, the ancient city, and on Zhongdian grassland, I once met ethnic minorities who were embarrassed by strangers and could not lift their heads. Now I have not only learned Chinese, but also learned to do business with foreigners in English. New ideas are like a spring breeze, urging people to change themselves, their environment and their lives. People pay more and more attention to the business opportunities brought by the development of tourism. The upcoming second Kunming International Tourism Festival in China has achieved remarkable results in commercial operation: 46 domestic and foreign enterprises aim at the opportunity to borrow Taiwan to sing operas, and the funds for undertaking and co-organizing by name amount to more than RMB13 million, and all five large-scale activities are undertaken and co-organized by enterprises. "Government guidance, tourism drive, social participation and enterprise singing opera", Yunnan's growing and mature tourism industry is developing in the direction of standardization and marketization, which will certainly play a significant role in promoting the province's economy.
In order to make the tourism industry reach a new level, the Master Plan for Tourism Development in Yunnan Province, jointly compiled by the Yunnan Provincial Government and the World Tourism Organization, has been approved by experts at home and abroad. In the next 5 to 20 years, Yunnan will become a major tourist destination in China and Southeast Asia. The blueprint of tourism development in the new century described by the people of the whole province with painstaking efforts and wisdom is becoming a reality day by day, and a powerful tourism economy is rising.
Tourism brings Yunnan into line with the world; Tourism has brought the world to Yunnan. During the China '99 Kunming World Expo, 9.4 million Chinese and foreign tourists entered the Expo site. The first China Kunming International Tourism Festival, 5.55 million tourists from home and abroad visited Yunnan again; During the three "Golden Weeks" of tourism since May 1 last year, tourists from various scenic spots were everywhere, hotels and restaurants were full, and the province's tourism revenue was increasing day by day. Today, the beautiful Yunnan is full of flowers, welcoming the second China Kunming International Tourism Festival. Friends from all corners of the country once again set foot on this delightful land.
The bonfire has been lit and folk songs have been sung. The 26 nationalities in Yunnan will welcome guests from all over the world into this colorful spring with the highest courtesy! I think Yunnan is good.