The Development of Tourism in Wuxi

The 2005 World Urban Service Conference, co-sponsored by China Mayors Association, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Wuxi Municipal People's Government and American Service Industry Alliance, was held in Wuxi, the important town of Taihu Lake, from June 8 to1October 8, 2005. The following are the wonderful speeches of the guests in the "Modern Tourism" sub-forum:

Moderator: Please welcome Mr. Wang Jieping, Director of Wuxi Tourism Bureau, Jiangsu Province, to make a speech. Welcome everyone. His topic is innovation-the eternal theme of Wuxi tourism development.

Wang Jieping: Wuxi is a natural landscape. Historical culture and modern civilization complement each other. Taking this road of tourism development is to combine natural landscape, history and culture with modern civilization and embark on a new road of Wuxi development. Since the new century, with innovation as the theme, we have made great efforts to explore and seriously develop Wuxi tourism. During the Tenth Five-Year Plan period, we launched three major strategies, one is the tourism development strategy, and the other is the promotion strategy of key tourism projects. The pillar industry of service industry, to the pillar industry of national economy, is the status of industry, tourism has become a pillar industry, and the status of industry has improved. Second, from a big tourist city to a strong tourist city, Wuxi's tourism level should be ahead of other countries. How can we give full play to this resource and become a tourist and holiday destination? We are making these three leaps. In this regard, we have taken a gratifying step in recent years. Last year, it received nearly 540,000 overseas tourists, an increase of 23%, and 26.8 million domestic tourists, an increase of 2 1%. The tourism resources reached 23 billion. On the basis of four years, the total tourism revenue has doubled. We are glad to see that with everyone's concern and support, Wuxi, a tourist city, is maintaining a fast and good development momentum. How to maintain a fast and good development momentum, I think the main thing is innovation. We focus on innovation from six aspects, integrating resources and adjusting the structure. China is rich in tourism resources, and Wuxi is also rich in tourism resources. We say Wuxi is the nearest city to Taihu Lake. We pay attention to culture. Wuxi is the birthplace of national industry and commerce, but resources are not equal to products and markets. There are several types in the development of tourism in China. One is that the cities and products built by first-class resources are second-rate cities and products, but in many places, first-class resources can be used to build first-class cities and products, and so are many developed tourist cities in the world. Wuxi's tourism resources are good, but they are not necessarily first-class resources. Generally speaking, it is a second-class resource. How to build a first-class city with this second-rate resource needs integration. We need to realize the three-product strategy, one is the beautiful scenery of Taihu Lake, the other is the famous cultural tourism products, and the third is the new holiday and leisure products.

Wang Jieping: In other words, in traditional scenic spots, the distance between us is closer. In the whole city tourism, we pay more attention to culture, and in tourism, we pay more attention to leisure, because our lowlands are the most developed Yangtze River Delta region in China. This transformation of vacation and leisure is earlier in Wuxi area of the Yangtze River Delta. If I want to innovate, I want to understand and integrate my own resources and build my own city's personality. The second one is. In a few cases, there is a Lingshan Buddha in Wuxi, which looks like a world-class scenic spot. It indicates that we are building world-class tourism products, and we can build world-class tourism products.

Wang Jieping: The second one is Water Margin and our traditional scenic spots. How to rejuvenate, from sightseeing to sightseeing, leisure and vacation, and integrate resources and optimize the structure? As innovation, the second is industrial linkage. Tourism should jump out of tourism and develop tourism. In the long-term tradition, we are small tourism, and big tourism involves all aspects of society. We propose to jump out of tourism and develop tourism. This is the development strategy of grand tourism. We should build one platform after another to upgrade the industrial structure and enhance the image of the city. In fact, we have tasted the sweetness, but it is not enough. We need industrial linkage. As a result, we began to pay attention to the number of people in today's scenic spots and the number of tickets sold. We must pay more attention to quality and efficiency to stimulate tourists' time in Wuxi and their consumption in Wuxi. I always say that tourists should not leave their roots in Wuxi, but use the best. According to statistics, the per capita consumption of domestic tourists in Wuxi last year was 1090 yuan, compared with 997 yuan the year before. It is very difficult to raise 10 yuan. Our form has changed, from quantity to quality. It is difficult for us to keep tourists for an extra hour, but it is also difficult to ask tourists to spend more 100 yuan. We are innovative in promoting and building brands. Wuxi has a culture of more than 3,000 years, but the image of the city. In recent years, we have made great efforts to build the brand of Wuxi, the Pearl of Taihu Lake, with a focus and a theme. We position Taihu Lake as the city song of Wuxi, and we declare Taihu Lake as a national tourism brand. We built the Taihu Expo, and we made a fuss about Taihu Lake, so that the name Taihu Lake can be seen everywhere in our city. It is really beautiful. When you see Taihu Lake, you think of Wuxi, and you will see Taihu Lake. Of course, Taihu Lake is not from Wuxi, but from the world. We will polish the pearl of Taihu Lake more brightly. We have established this brand and taken some measures.

Wang Jieping: Fourth, regional cooperation has expanded the space for innovation. Here is a sentence. We go out of Wuxi and develop Wuxi's tourism. Wuxi's resources are limited, but the characteristics of tourism resources are * * * enjoyment. We use limited resources, seize unlimited enjoyment and promote regional cooperation. Wuxi has a small population and a small area. How to expand regional cooperation has long been promoted by Wuxi tourism. Wuxi receives radiation from Shanghai. We work in Shanghai and spend our leisure time in little shanghai. 20 10 World Expo, we put forward the plan of Expo in Shanghai and leisure in Wuxi. Secondly, the four cities around Taihu Lake will enjoy the beautiful scenery of Taihu Lake. Third, we found the cooperation in the Yangtze River Delta. We launched the Yangtze River Delta City Wuxi Initiative, proposing to make this region a world-class tourism brand, not my own brand, nor is it.

Wang Jieping: You may not know that there is an airport in Wuxi. Now it is developing rapidly and has been opened to 10 city. It was ranked 156 when it was opened to traffic last year, and ranked 56 at the end of last year. Last month, it ranked 44th in China Airport, which shows the role and potential of tourism. Of course, there are businesses in Wuxi. Internationally, we include Taiwan Province Province and Singapore, and our main tourists come from North Asia. V. Innovation In the in-depth development of reform and opening up, we put forward a concept: the in-depth development of tourism, how to develop in depth and how to develop our Wuxi people to travel at the same time. Wuxi people have a high enthusiasm for tourism. We propose that tourism makes life more exciting, and tourism publicity services enter communities, universities and families, so that more Wuxi people can go out of their homes, integrate into tourism and enjoy life. This is what our governments at all levels do in modern tourism. Especially if the per capita GDP of Wuxi exceeds 7000 dollars, its tourism has become an important part of life, so it is an important part of modern tourism. Secondly, in order to build a quality brand, we have implemented the Wuxi Quality Brand Action Plan and Scheme. We'd like to propose a quality tour to Wuxi. Of course, we still have many questions. I hope you can ask these questions. This is the motivation for us to do better in the future. There are problems to be solved, but as a tourist city, there are also quality problems. The quality of tourism is the quality of the city, which is very important. Let more private capital enter the tourism industry, innovate our industry management at the same time, and the fourth is to innovate and establish a service system. Recently, we have built three supporting systems of tourist cities and set up tourist signs, which is a subject that embodies the in-depth development of people-oriented. Sixth, improve urban functions. For a long time, our city is not a tourist destination, but a slippery place. We put forward whether we can visit Taihu Lake during the day and go to the city at night, so that more tourists can leave a heavy step, taste Wuxi, feel Wuxi and interpret Wuxi. We are trying to make our city no longer a transit point and Wuxi the biggest when we see the scenic spots. We spent billions of dollars in investment, and the water in Taihu Lake became clear. After coming to Wuxi, Chinese and foreign tourists can get close to the water, enjoy the water and travel around the mountains, including transportation, and make use of the developed economy to build tourist transportation, thus enhancing the functions of the whole city. After arriving in Wuxi, tourists no longer watch during the day but sleep at night. Like Lijiang, like Kunming, like Shanghai's new world, they go in and feel it. In this regard, we are implementing such a strategy. So we feel that Wuxi, a developing tourist city, is making the 11th five-year plan. You can't just look at this small place in Wuxi. In the coming period, China's tourism industry will face new opportunities and challenges. In terms of opportunities, there are several opportunities. The improvement of comprehensive national strength has laid a solid foundation for building a tourism power and building a first-class tourist destination.

Wang Jieping: Whether it is the purchasing power of the market or the driving force of development, it is a period of high growth and a second chance. The central government proposes to change the mode of economic growth and build a harmonious society, which will promote the great development of tourism. Why? Changing the economic mode and developing tourism are effective ways to change the economic growth mode. To build a harmonious society, tourism is an important form of building a harmonious society, and tourism serves three kinds of people: locals, outsiders and foreigners. The harmony between man and tourism is the harmony between man and nature, and it is the four modes of a harmonious society. It will lead the great development of tourism, and everyone will pay more attention to the great development of tourism, or give priority to it. The third global economic integration and regional tourism integration will expand the development space. It goes without saying that each of our scenic spots will no longer look at me, Wuxi and Jiangsu, but at the world. We are talking about tourism all over the world, and there is more room for development, especially the next step. With the transfer of the whole industry and capital, including some brands of world tourism, the top 100 and top 200 brands of world tourism will begin to approach China. Fourth, the progress of science and technology information technology has promoted the progress of tourism. Now e-commerce is developing rapidly and unstoppable, which will change our concepts and ideas. Fifth, in terms of time, there are three opportunities now. Next year's Hangzhou Expo will be closed, and the leisure industry will rise in China. Second, the 2008 Olympic Games will bring tourism to China and enhance the image of China as a tourist destination. Thirdly, the 20 10 Shanghai World Expo regards the whole world as a big market for China's tourism. This has created more new fields, but we are facing many new challenges. In terms of tourism demand, we have changed to sightseeing, vacation and leisure. Can our leisure products develop in a planned way with the promotion of sightseeing products? Since the Golden Week, the demand for leisure has risen rapidly.

Wang Jieping: In terms of tourism consumption, the ticket economy is changing to a comprehensive tourism factor. More and more people go in without tickets, such as West Lake in Hangzhou and Huangshan Lake in Jiangyin. What about traveling? Nowadays, tourism is guiding comprehensive tourism consumption. One tourist ticket drives five consumption. We have more here, depending on the function of the city. In the past, our scenic spots were called ticket economy, hotels called bed economy, and travel agencies called people's head economy. Explain our thinking, tourism has begun to change to comprehensive consumption. Third, in the form of tourism, traditional tourism has changed to modern tourism. For example, tourism has become more personalized. Modern tourism has developed rapidly. If you don't adapt, you will be at a loss and lose the market. This is the challenge.

Wang Jieping: On the theme of tourism competition, product competition has turned into regional competition. Just building Wuxi, our Taihu Lake and our Yangtze River Delta has become a whole destination. Pan-Pearl River Delta cooperation has been established. How to recognize, accept and promote such regional competition? On the carrier of tourism development, mainly from scenic spots and scenic spots. Now I have begun to pay attention to the city. Just now I talked about the secondary development, which has been transferred to the city. How did this city do it? Or build the city's personality? This is a new challenge. How can tourism pay more attention to its own internal development? Tourism should become a new industry with scientific development and a demonstration industry of a harmonious society. Therefore, during the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" period, Wuxi's tourism industry paid more attention to studying the changes of tourism development and found its own position. During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, we are going to take two steps. Whether it is possible to build a strong tourist city in 2007, that is, the added value of tourism accounts for more than 6% of the city's GDP, as long as the target direction is set, it will certainly be achieved. The goal of 20 10 Wuxi tourism is to lead the country. Around this goal, we put forward a new development strategy, that is, localization development strategy. What we are considering is how to develop in depth and internally, which is more important. Second, the internationalization strategy, like Kunming's advanced city learning, wants to build an international city, so it pays attention to internationalization. The third is branding, the strategy of upgrading the fifth industry, such as tourism, vacation and leisure, how to enhance and improve the core competitiveness of Wuxi as a whole. I think the problem of modern tourism thinking is to form an industrial chain and an industrial cluster. Our tour is still scattered and an important part. Fifth, it is the strategy of tourist city, implementing the strategy of tourist city, creating a city-level tourism science, making the city a destination for tourists, making Wuxi the most suitable city for rest, and becoming a city that wants to come again after coming. I think we often say that Taihu Lake is beautiful, Wuxi travels with you, and Wuxi is the city you want to come again after you come. Finally, I want to send a souvenir to six Wuxi guests. It's a paper casserole in Wuxi. I hope you like Wuxi better and China better.

Q: I would like to ask, what do you think is the most successful in maintaining Wuxi's city image?

Wang Jieping: Do everything possible to repeatedly speculate on the image of the city. Now we are repeatedly promoting the concept of the Pearl of Taihu Lake. The order of tourism is the order of the city. Whoever influences and destroys the tourism order is destroying the urban order. This city doesn't allow this. We have established a tourism quality supervision system. I'll report the specific problems to you at dinner tonight. Thank you.