City revs for visitor traffic
Taiwanese even ferry their cars to nation's top self-drive destination, writes David Powell
The number of visitors to Xiamen increased more than 14 per cent last year to over 53 million. While the numbers are impressive and tourists spent more than 72 billion yuan (HK$91 billion) last year, local tourism officials say that guest satisfaction is equally important. Xiamen has ranked among the mainland's top cities on its tourism satisfaction index for the past five consecutive years.
While the city's top attractions include Nanputuo Temple, Hulishan Fort and Zhongshan Road, tourism is booming because the city is much more than a temple, cannons and a shopping street. Indeed, the city's breadth of sites and activities are a key part of Xiamen's vibrance. The city combines abundant historical attractions with natural splendour and a wide range of opportunities to shop and dine well. In a recent survey, Chinese tourists declared Xiamen to be the country's best destination for self-drive travel, thanks to the area's infrastructure and clement weather. The city even welcomed the first private vehicles from Taiwan this year, with tourists bringing their cars from the island by ferry and receiving temporary plates and licences.
International guests are expected to surge this year, now that 72-hour visas-on-arrival are available to residents of more than 50 countries and regions, including places such as Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Given the city's proximity to Taiwan, the city is pushing to develop cross-Strait ties. Trips to nearby Kinmen in Taiwan, which maintains a more rustic and less-developed air than Xiamen, are increasingly popular.
The city's still-growing Xiamen International Cruise Terminal is also a tourism boom. Benefiting from a recent 50-million-yuan renovation, the terminal hosts international luxury liners and ferries to Gulangyu and Kinmen.
City officials are working to embrace the rise of the mobile Internet and its impact on travel trends. Local officials plan to use big data and new forms of social media to improve the city's tourist service and marketing programmes.
Sustainable tourism has become an important mantra among the sector's officials, largely because the city's tourism industry accounts for more than nine per cent of local GDP. Travel peaks during China's Golden Week holidays, with Xiamen consistently one of the country's top three domestic tourist destinations.
To ensure that tourists and sites are not overwhelmed, local officials are introducing programmes such as metered access to key sites such as Gulangyu to ensure that tourists enjoy themselves. There is also an effort to promote agri-tourism and rural tourism.
Visitors' response to Xiamen has been positive and local officials predict up to 57 million tourist trips in 2015, and 79 billion yuan in revenue.