Tourism is on the rise in Dunhuang city, an oasis in Gansu Province, on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Many local farmers in the surrounding counties are benefiting from a growing number of visitors, who want to spend time in the area.
Duan Haihong is casting his net far and wide for new customers, using the internet.
A grape farmer by trade, he opened his farm up to visitors 15 years ago. Now, it boasts a restaurant, a library, and a number of guest rooms.
“August and September is peak season. My plan is to allow guests to pick fruit while they’re here, to increase my profits,” grape farmer Duan Haihong said.
Duan says around a hundred thousand visitors come to his farm each year. He claims to have made over four thousand yuan from tourism alone.
“There are 8 farms open to guests in the town. Their combined annual income reaches around five hundred thousand yuan each year,” said Li Ming, deputy CPC committee secretary of Yangguan County, dunhuang.
Duan Haihong is just one of those benefiting from the tourism industry. Over 1.5 million tourists came to Dunhuang last year, a surge of 40 percent from the previous year. The boost has been driven in part by a surge in foreign tourists, who numbered 40 thousand in 2012.
More than 2 million visitors are expected to pour into the area next year, as more efforts are made to boost tourism.
In 2012, tourism in the city and surrounding areas generated 20 billion yuan,an increase of 30 percent and the Total tourism income increased by 40% compare to previous years.
For many farmers like Duan, the tourism economy will continue to change their lives for the better.