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THE global financial crisis has impacted consumption in China, and tourism is one area that has been hit particularly hard. So, in an effort to stimulate the industry, some of Chinas tourist hotspots have launched special coupons to attract more travelers to visit their sites and sample their delights.

Miyun County in Beijing is one of those hotspots. Guo Lixin, chief of the Beijing Miyun Tourism Bureau, explains: “From April to December, consumers can receive vouchers worth RMB5 million from Miyun Tourism Bureau, including 100,000 free tickets for scenic spots, 6,000 free hotel passes and 100,000 kilograms of organically-grown grain.”

Opportunity amid an Economic Crisis

Every cloud has a silver lining, and this is true with the tourism sector in a financial meltdown. Guo notes: “As the financial crisis has escalated, more and more people are tightening their belts, and perhaps postponing any plans for long-distance travel they might have had. Still, people need their vacations, so along with the downturn in long-distance travel, theres been a corresponding bump in short-distance holiday-making.”

He continues: “Situated as it is on the outskirts of Beijing, Miyun is primed to benefit from the surge in short-distance travel. You could say that from our point of view, the economic crisis has actually been a boon. It presents a great opportunity for us.”

Tourist Paradise

Located in the picturesque northeast of Beijing, Miyun County boasts a proud tradition of folk culture. A nearby reservoir provides much of the Chinese capitals drinking water. In fact, two thirds of the countys area is designated as a water conservation district.

With a storage area of 4.375 billion cubic meters, the water surface area of the Miyun Reservoir is 188 square kilometers – around one-tenth of the countys total area. Some 63 percent of the county is covered by forest, and so it resembles one massive green park. In 2008 Miyun was named as a national ecologically-friendly county by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and one of the six national ecological pilot areas.

Guo says there are nearly 100 sites with tourism development potential, including natural sights like Black Dragon Pool and Tianmen Mountain. Meanwhile, folk culture attractions like time-honored castles and villages are gaining popularity among visitors. Theres also the option to dine or spend the night in farmers cottages when the sightseeing comes to an end.

Today, Miyuns tourism industry integrates the travel and leisure, shopping, accommodation, catering and entertainment sectors. Local farmers also run tourist-oriented businesses such as orchards and folk shows, and they can make a fine living from these ventures.

Guo Lixin says Miyun has recently introduced various health-themed tourist activities. Spas, gyms and mountain-biking are just a few of those on offer, and hotels in the region have excellent information points that prescribe plenty of tips towards maintaining a hale and hearty state of body and mind.

Get Me There!

Everyone in the city – resident or visitor, Chinese or foreigner, is eligible for these tourist vouchers. Just bring your identification to any branch of the Beijing Rural Commercial Bank. Each applicant is entitled to one coupon, and can select the destination and preferred date of travel in the bank branch.

Guo Lixin says: “The 30 scenic spots in Miyun each offer ten free tickets per day while every hotel provides one free standard room per day.” All of these businesses are happy to participate in the program – and they are predicting big returns for a small outlay.