Recently, the World Tourism Alliance (WTA), the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC), and the World Bank jointly issued the WTA Best Practices of Rural Revitalization Through Tourism 2021 to help boost rural revitalization, tell well China's stories, promote global poverty reduction and achieve sustainable development goals. Chetian Township, Youyang, Chongqing, was selected.

WTA Best Practices of Rural Revitalization Through Tourism 2021. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

The year 2021 marks the start for China to consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation and advance rural revitalization, opening a new chapter of rural revitalization through tourism. The release of the WTA Best Practices of Rural Revitalization Through Tourism 2021 is one of the supporting activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of restoring the People's Republic of China's lawful seat in the United Nations (UN). It is also an important measure for China to implement the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in tourism and foster exchanges and mutual learning with countries worldwide in this field.

These practices show positive examples of China's adherence to the path that prioritizes ecology and highlights green, low-carbon development and to the building of a Beautiful China featuring harmony between humankind and nature. There are vivid stories of implementing the "ecological conservation centered village construction" strategy, helping villagers to live a better life through the development of characteristic ecological tourism. Characteristic landscapes have formed through the struggle for a ban on industrial land with serious environmental pollution and ecological upgrading. People have also made full use of the quality resources of the local world's natural heritage, thus realizing integration and mutual promotion of heritage preservation, rural tourism, and people's sustainable livelihood.

With projects "initiated by planning, boosted by demonstration, driven by culture, linked by integration and promoted by reform," Chetian Township has advanced poverty alleviation and arranged measures to start rural revitalization, making it the only selected practice of Chongqing.

The beautiful countryside scenery of Chetian Township. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Chetian Township, located in Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, Chongqing, was once an impoverished area deep in Wuling Mountain. In recent years, the township has taken poverty alleviation as an opportunity to build four rural tourism demonstration points, namely Tongmatai, Maotouba, Miaoying, and Wenjia Yuanzi, to develop rural tourism. It has also erected a camping base for recreational vehicles, used transferred land to establish a vast oil-tea camellia base, built a poverty alleviation workshop for Miao embroidery, and developed rural B&Bs based on traditional villages. With efforts to pursue new business forms of rural tourism, the township has embarked on a rural revitalization road integrating agriculture and tourism. Today's rural areas in Chetian are ideal for leisure and tourism, with picturesque scenery and neat courtyards.