Beijing Wtown in Miyun district is a hot tourist destination. It offers a water scene and a section of the Great Wall, with stone-paved old streets and gray and yellow bricked houses on the riverside. (YANG FEIYUE / CHINA DAILY)
Beijing's northeastern Miyun district has launched 10 micro-vacation routes to cater to residents' enthusiasm to go out during the upcoming holiday.
The routes cover the Great Wall, and the district's other major tourist attractions, as well as its reservoirs. They also offer distinctive homestay experiences and a taste of rural life.
"Miyun abounds in tourism resources that are especially appealing to self-drive, cycling and family travelers," says Wang Fengtong, director of the marketing center with the Miyun culture and tourism bureau.
The routes enable travelers to savor what the district has to offer in two or three days.
"For example, travelers can see blossoms all over the hills during their trips to Yunmeng Mountain," she says.
Yunmeng Mountain lies in the west of Miyun district and features lofty mountain peaks, deep valleys, unusual shaped rocks, luxuriant trees and flowers, as well as waterfalls and winding streams. The main peak is more than 1,400 meters high and makes for a popular destination for hikers and climbers.
One can find eight major flower blossoms in Miyun, and the local authority has developed a blossom appreciation map for travelers.
All the tourist site operations will strictly comply with the pandemic control measures, Wang says.
Beijing Wtown in Miyun district is a hot tourist destination. It offers a water scene and a section of the Great Wall, with stone-paved old streets and gray and yellow bricked houses on the riverside. (YANG FEIYUE / CHINA DAILY)
At Beijing Wtown, movable-type printing, kite making and flying experiences have been prepared for vacationers.
Star observation and yoga classes are being planned at the moment, according to Zhou Jianhong, a sales manager with the Wtown.
"Bookings for the Labor Day holiday started to accelerate in the second week this month," Zhou says.
The town offers a water scene and a section of the Great Wall, with stone-paved old streets and gray and yellow bricked houses on the riverside.
More than 70 percent of the hotel rooms are already booked for the upcoming holiday, and Zhou believes it would be fully booked up later.
"Travelers have paid more visits to the water town and stayed longer since the pandemic," she says.
During Spring Festival, the destination's hotels were fully booked, with visitor numbers up 30 percent compared with the same period last year.
"It was the best of all times since we opened in 2014," Zhou says.
Guests mostly spent four to five days, as opposed to the two days they stayed before, she adds.
She believes the water town's arrangements satisfy the needs of Beijing residents who can travel outside the city but can't go far because of the pandemic control measures in place throughout the country.
Wtown has also worked with neighboring attractions, such as red tourism resources in Gubeikou of Miyun.
The idea is to spice up the traveler experience, Zhou says.
