Qujing in SW China's Yunnan emerges as haven for long-stay tourism

Qujing city in southwest China's Yunnan Province has transformed itself into a popular destination for long-stay tourism in recent years.

It has drawn retirees from regions including southwest China's Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality and central China's Hunan Province, as well as freelancers from metropolises like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

The upper part of this combo photo shows tourists playing at a waterfall scenic area in Qujing city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Lu Jiangtao)

The lower part of this combo photo shows Baiwu village in Nagu town, Huize county, Qujing city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (File photo)

To better attract long-stay travelers, scenic spots in the city have rolled out perks like free admission days, leading to increased spending on shopping and entertainment. During this year's week-long National Day holiday, Qujing received nearly 2.72 million tourist visits, raking in approximately 2.66 billion yuan ($373.22 million) in tourism revenue - a 13.03 percent year-on-year increase.

The secrets of Qujing's popularity among long-stay travelers lie in its pleasant climate and wallet-friendly accommodation costs.

A woman surnamed Feng hailing from Changsha city in Hunan Province spent the entire summer in Qujing this year. "A summer at 19 degrees Celsius means that I don't need air conditioning, and I even need a blanket at night," she said.

The city's elderly care centers and hotels are bursting at the seams. "All 60-plus rooms are fully booked," said Feng Meng, a staff member of an elderly care center in Qilin district, Qujing.

Feng Meng added that over 100 seniors booked rooms at the center this summer, and many of them already secured spots for next year.

At a nursing home of Qujing city, monthly rates for each guest run between 2,000 to 3,000 yuan for food and accommodation, a price that is acceptable for many retirees, according to Yang Xiaohong, a staff member of the nursing home.

Data showed that the city saw an average of about 200,000 long-stay travelers each day during the summer peaks in the last two years, and the travelers registered an average stay of over 10 days. Some of the tourists stretched their stays to two or three months.

More than 30 "new residents" from Beijing and east China's Jiangsu Province have lived in Zhang'antun village, Malong district for a long period of time. The village offers private chefs, vegetable gardens and stylishly renovated traditional houses with attractive prices, which have induced some tourists to take up leases running for five to 10 years.

Tang Haibo, head of the culture and tourism bureau of Qilin district, said Qujing has developed a business model of long-term accommodation for tourists, focusing on the lease of self-built houses, hotels and nursing homes, ensuring relatively lower and stable accommodation prices.

The city has also improved services to cater to long-stay guests. For instance, Jinlin neighborhood in Qilin district has continuously improved services and facilities, offering amenities like table tennis equipment and calligraphy supplies for long-stay travelers.

Local Party service centers have provided free tea and consultation services. Government offices, public institutions and communities where conditions allow have been more accessible, with free parking on weekends and holidays. In addition, the city has launched more bus routes and extended favorable public transport policies to out-of-town seniors.

Qujing is betting big on long-stay tourism to drive high-quality tourism development. Since the beginning of last year, the city has promoted the high-quality development of the culture and tourism industries by upgrading tourist attractions and expanding hotel capacity for long-stay travelers. It has also provided more tourism products to attract long-stay tourists.