Jiuhua Resort [Photo via VCG]
Beijing Changping Hot Spring Cultural Festival began on April 7 in Changping District, Beijing. Changping plans to further enhance the integration of cultural tourism, agriculture, and business industries, aiming to stimulate the growth of the cultural tourism market and transform the District into a prime location for tourism development in northern Beijing.
How much geothermal resources does Beijing have? During the opening ceremony, Wu Bihu, Director of the International Center for Recreation and Tourism Research of the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences of Peking University, highlighted the fact that geothermal resources are available in only a select few capital cities worldwide, including Beijing. According to monitoring data, there are currently ten geothermal fields in Beijing, spanning a total area of 2,760 square kilometers. The temperature of the effluent, which contains trace elements such as metasilicate, from these geothermal fields exceeds 50 Celcius degrees.
Xiaotangshan Town, located in the eastern part of Changping District, is a popular hot spring destination in northern China. With its numerous hot spring resorts, including Jiuhua Resort, Honglu Shangtang Hot Spring Villa, Longmai Hot Spring Resort, Xiaotang Yipiao Private Spring Holiday Guesthouse, along with other unique homestays, Xiaotangshan offers a variety of options for those indulging in hot spring experiences. According to Wu, Xiaotangshan is a hub for the hot spring industry and possesses the exceptional potential for the exploitation and utilization of the geothermal resources in the capital's plain region.
Zhan Dongmei, a Ph.D. in Management from the China Tourism Academy, proposed that hot springs can be a key driver of the development of the tourism industry. Zhan recommends that the hot springs industry be integrated with other areas, such as leisure real estate, wellness, water parks, and tourist towns. Furthermore, the adoption of digital technologies has the potential to drive growth in the hot spring sector; a dedicated platform can also be created for the hot spring tourism to overcome market barriers and facilitate stronger connections between enterprises and the resources of the relevant industry chains.
This year's Beijing Changping Hot Spring Cultural Festival features the agricultural enterprises' growth. To promote the consumption of rural products, the festival has organized various activities such as the promotions of the high-quality agricultural products in Changping, live-streaming events, and the trips participated by Internet-famous celebrities. The festival also promotes the agricultural products of Changping, including strawberries and apples, the representative products with the Geographical Indications of P.R.China, as well as the local specialty products such as Liucun pickles.
(Source: The Beijing News)