In Taiyuan,there are5cultural relicsunder the nationalprotectionlist,17withinthe provincialroster,and67protectedat the citylevel.The tourism resourcesof Taiyuanare roughlyspread along three sections:from Juewei Mountains and Dou Chou Memorial Temple in the north,through Jinci Temple,Tianlong Mountains and JinyangLake in the middle,to Qingxu ValleyVineyard,and the hillyareas to the west of Lake Qingquan.It is rather rare to see in China such aconcentrationof variedlandfeaturesand superfineartifactsat one place.The JinciTempleis applyingfor a WorldCulturalHeritagelisting.Andthe year2003will also be the2,500th anniversaryof the ancientJinyangCity.These importantevents willdecidedly act as a catalystto catapultthe city’s tourismup to a new league.The new strategy for Taiyuan’s tourism development is a diversified one comprisingone center(Taiyuanas a touristhub),two functions(leisureandculturalstudy),threename brands(Jinci Temple,Jinyang Lake and Jinyang Culture),four resources(mountains,rivers,culturaltours and historical persons)and five tours(or major itinerariesfeaturingrespectivelyscenic spots tour,food taste,shopping experience,culturaltourand agro tour).
The New Centuryhas providedfor tourism industry both unprecedented opportunitiesand certaindifficultiesand pressures.Listed as a top-priority industry,Taiyuan’s tourism willbe carefully cultivated and greatly developed during the current Tenth Five-YearPlan period(2001-2005).To do thiswe shouldgive fullplayto the superiorityof the industrygroups to improveshoppingenvironmentand raise service skills;we should set up or improvelaws and legislationconcerning tourismmanagementwhilesharpening the awareness of ruleof law;and we should establish a strict,just and transparent working regulation and procedureto enhance law-enforcement ability.The industry’s concretegoal is that Taiyuan willbe able by2005to welcome80,000internationalarrivalstogenerate43millionUS dollarsin foreign exchange;and receive15million domestictouriststo earn5billionyuan.In sum the revenuefrom tourismsector willchalkup5.3billionyuan or10%of the city’s GDP.
