Located in the intersection of the ancient Huaihe River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Huai'an was once the hub of canal transportation and salt transportation. Huai'an, together with Suzhou, Hangzhou and Yangzhou, were known as four major cities along the world's longest manmade waterway, and enjoyed the reputation of "the capital of the Chinese canal". The city also boasts other honors in China, such as a historical and cultural city, a garden city, and a tourism city.
During the Lantern Festival, a South Korean man working in Huai'an attracted wild attentions on the popular social media app WeChat after he shared photos about the lanterns show in the Li Canal, part of the Grand Canal with his parents, who were about returning to South Korea. The lanterns show is a key tourism project developed by Huai'an, also a drawcard to the city.
Huai'an is one of Chinese cities to develop "all-for-one" tourism, which means local governments integrate tourism resources to improve tourism competitiveness and service quality. In recent years, the city has five counties and districts, such as Jinhu and Xuyi, included in the list of national "all-for-one" tourism demonstration zones.
"My family lives close to the scenic area and we can make money at the doorstep," said a woman surnamed Zhang, who was responsible for bamboo rafting service in Jinhu Water Forest Park. The woman said she was very satisfied with her life, as many tourists visited the park on the first day of the Lunar New Year, February 5.
With a focus on speed up the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, Huai'an has made full use of its tourism resources, such as the countryside natural scenery, cultural heritage, and unique folk art and customs. The city's tourism products now include countryside vacations, sightseeing tour, experiencing folk customs and agri-tainment.
Huai'an has also improved tourism service quality to boost its competitiveness. With a priority to develop the smart travelling system, the city has accelerated the development of a tourism management center, Big Data platform and app, in order to allow tourists to enjoy the best of Huai'an so long as they are online.
Source:jschina.com.cn