A Design Of Ecotourism Mode For Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Abstract:Lijiang is one of the leading regions in which Yunnan develops its name brands of tourism, and its development has raised the living standards of local people. Although Lijiang’s tourism did develop very rapidly in recent years, there remain such issues as the inadequate carrying capacity of resources, over-commercialization and ineffective product development and business modes.Ecotourism might as well serve as one of the solutions to those issues. The reason is simple:Lijiang itself boasts abundant resources for eco-tourism, e.g., many terrific and magnificent natural and cultural scenes including the water system of the old Dayan town, Yulong snowy mountains, the wetland in Lashihai, the forests on Mt. Laojun, the Danxia landform in Liming, Lugu lake in Yongning, the first bend of the Yangtze river and the Tiger-leaping gorge. With the rapid economic development, tourists have gained a deeper and deeper understanding of tourist products, enhancing a still higher demand for an in-depth experience of tourist destinations. As luck would have it, those ecotourism resources provide their support to the development of ecotourism, and the latter is expected to strike a balance between the development of tourism industry and the protection of ecological resources. Yet, the ecotourism remains a weak link in Lijiang.This thesis deigns an ecotourism mode for Lijiang’s tourism industry, that is, it proposes to develop the tour of natural scenes, on which to develop the eco-agricultural sightseeing tours, as well as the ecological and cultural tours and scientific expeditions of ecological education based on the natural and cultural resources of Lijiang. In order to build the sustainable development capacity of Lijiang’s tourism industry, it also proposes to develop the environmentally-friendly tourism, and to use the ecological and cultural elements of old Baisha town to remedy the cultural vandalism in the old Dayan town. Finally, it suggests to drive the development of ecotourism in business mode reform, tourism industry, economic groups concerned and social, political and economic environments, and at the same time it emphasizes that the government should provide corresponding and favorable policy support to ecotourism development.