Scenic village gears up for upcoming May Day holiday

Luci village, Fuchunjiang town, Tonglu county, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Making up rooms and updating the menu, Zhang Liangxiong, who owns a homestay in Luci, has recently been busy preparing for the upcoming May Day holiday.

The 42-year-old, a native of Luci village, Fuchunjiang town, Tonglu county, East China's Zhejiang province, returned home a few years ago and opened a homestay to tap business chance spawned by local booming tourism.

There have been relatively few tourists due to the recent COVID-19 outbreaks, which has given homestays ample time to make preparations for the approaching May Day holiday, Zhang said.

Due to its geographical location and unique scenery, Luci in recent years has experienced fast growth in rural tourism and was even listed among the first batch of recommended destinations in Zhejiang for experiencing rural life.

The influx of visitors has even attracted investment from people outside Zhejiang.

"I came here just by chance, but I was deeply impressed by the green mountains and clear waters at first sight, so I decided to stay here and start my own business," said Yin Minghai, who is from Hunan province and runs a homestay in Luci.

The village has also introduced a digital platform that makes managing tourism facilities such as homestays and parking lots easier, according to Fang Zuchun, Party chief of the village.

Visitors can use a mini app to make reservations for parking, catering and lodging services. Developed by Luci, the app can be accessed by scanning QR codes posted on the doors of every shop in the village.

There were more than 180 homestays in Luci as of the end of last year.

In 2021, the village received 1.39 million tourists, generating 196 million yuan ($30.15 million) in tourism revenue. Its collective income amounted to 1.82 million yuan, while per capita annual income among local residents stood at 80,000 yuan.