Woodblock county plans for tourists
Print Edition
Phuntsog Tsering, 61, is hoping his traditional craftsmanship will attract more tourists to Derge County in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. The county, famed for its Tibetan woodblocks, is desperate to grow tourism to boost the local economy.
Phuntsog’s carving was featured at a recent exhibition in Sichuan’s capital Chengdu. He was one of a number of master craftsmen promoting the paintings, carvings and literature of the county in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
But despite officials’ efforts over the past decade, the county’s tourism development remains stagnant.
“We have the best tourism resources, such as Tibetan calligraphy, medicine and dances,” said Lin Tao, a Derge tourism official.
But Lin said tourism is held back by poor public transport and budgeting constraints. It currently takes two days to travel from Chengdu to Derge, which has no airport.
The scene is in stark contrast to neighboring Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province. Dechen received a staggering 20 million tourists in 2014, generating 8 billion yuan (US1.2 billion) in revenue, while Garze, which administers Derge, earned just 8 million yuan from tourism.
In Derge, about 40,000 tourists visited last year, according to Lin.
Things may be looking up though.
In late 2015, central authorities approved a plan to build an airport in Derge. Gesar Airport, expected to be completed in 2018, will cut the travel time from Chengdu to four hours.
Meanwhile, the Derge government has invited experts from Nepal, the United States and France to help with a tourism development plan.
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