Silk Road Economic Zone to Promote Tourism Development Strategy
Silk Road Economic Zone strategy to promote the development of China's tourism industry, the following is the example of Xi'an, a brief description.
XI'AN -- Tourism will become one of the leading industries along the Silk Road economic belt, which covers western China, central Asia and Europe, according to officials and experts.
The road has great charm and tourism will be a leading industry for the Silk Road economic belt, said Pavlos Geroulanos, former Greek tourism and culture minister.
But some barriers need to be overcome first. It will be very convenient if more than 20 countries along the Silk Road have the E-visa service, Geroulanos said at a tourism conference held during the Euro-Asia Economic Forum which ended on Saturday in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.
The Silk Road refers to the land trade route opened when Zhang Qian was sent west on a diplomatic mission more than 2,000 years ago. Starting from the old city Chang'an, known today as Xi'an, the ancient road ran through Northwest China's Gansu province and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and Central and Western Asia, before reaching the Mediterranean.
Xi'an, the start of the ancient road, should take the lead in tourism development, said Pan Qiuling, head of the Tourism School at Xi'an International Studies University.Xi'an served as the capital of more than ten dynasties in ancient China, including the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) and the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The city boasts world-famous tourism sites such as the Museum of Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses.In the first half of this year, 43.6 million tourists visited Xi'an, including 530,000 from overseas.
Along the Silk Road economic belt, there are rich tourism resources, including many heritage sites and landscapes in Central Asia, said Zhang Yongke, head of the Xi'an Tourism Administration.