China's Yulong Snow Mountain sees 50 mln tourists

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The scenic area of the renowned Yulong Snow Mountain in southwest China's Yunnan Province has received 50 million tourists since it opened to the public in 1994, officials said.

The snow-capped mountain is located in the northwest of Lijiang City with the main peak towering 5,596 meters above sea level. There are 19 glaciers in the mountain, which was listed as a key national scenic spot in 1988.

In 1994, it attracted 4,700 tourists, and the number has now risen to 50 million in total, the officials said on Thursday. The tourism revenue rose from 240,000 yuan (34,709 U.S. dollars) in 1994 to more than 1 billion yuan in 2018.

Great efforts have been made to protect the local ecological system and improve infrastructure and management of the scenic spots as well as the level of services over the past 25 years, said Yang Junxing, director of the administration committee of the scenic area.

Thanks to the tourism industry, local residents have gradually shaken off poverty and led a well-off life, according to Yang.

In order to strengthen the protection of the environment of Yulong Snow Mountain, Lijiang has accelerated water ecosystem restoration and protection in recent years, expanded afforestation and prohibited excessive deforestation, cultivation and grazing.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency