The photo shows Weiheyuan, a scenic area in Weiyuan county in Dingxi city, Northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Weiyuan, a county in Dingxi city, Northwest China's Gansu province, has strove to develop rural tourism in recent years as it boasts unique natural resources, beautiful scenery and profound cultural heritage.

The county, about 1,200 kilometers southwest of Beijing, set an aim in 2021 to build itself into a demonstration county in rural tourism.

Since then, some villages in the county, including the villages of Yuangudui, Weiheyuan and Xiakou, started to build tourism facilities and develop attracting scenic spots, including tourist centers, cultural walls, guesthouses and spots filled with seas of flowers.

"I've was fully occupied last year, which is very fulfilling," said Zhou Hongxia, a resident at Yuangudui village. She works at a guesthouse at the village and has been busy due to a steady stream of tourists.

While developing rural tourism, the village is also developing related industries like the plantation of economic crops, such as quinoa and toadstool, that can be purchased by visitors.

The industries have an annual output value of more than 4 million yuan ($590,000), helping local households increase their income by over 8,000 yuan per year, according to the local government.

As for the whole county, it received more than 2 million tourist visits last year, with the tourism revenue reaching 860 million yuan, data from the county's government showed.

The photo shows Weiheyuan, a scenic area in Weiyuan county in Dingxi city, Northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]