Guangxi holds a press conference on tourism poverty alleviation on Dec 10. [Photo by Huang Shiqi/gxnews.com.cn]

A press conference on how poverty alleviation has been helped by culture and tourism in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region was held on Dec 10, in order to outline the swift progress of poverty relief in 2019.

Rural Guangxi is estimated to have received 389 million tourists in 2019, an increase of 26 percent year-on-year, and income from rural tourism is expected to reach 276.6 billion yuan ($39.29 billion), an increase of 34 percent, accounting for over 27 percent of the total income of the whole region.

Rural tourism has developed into a highlight of the region's tourism industry, a hot spot in tourism spend, and a powerful hand to help overcome poverty.

Huang Yaolin, head of the resources development division of Guangxi Culture and Tourism Department, introduced the concrete actions, taken by the region in the rural tourism sector, that have helped the poor.

Guangxi Culture and Tourism Department has carried out "tourism planning to alleviate poverty", mobilizing 48 tourism planning units to help a total of 75 poor villages. In fact, 84 poor villages have escaped poverty, beating the target by nine. Throughout the year, the department has organized 110 people in 22 expert groups to guide villages to generate industrial development ideas and expand collective economic development channels. The department also promoted brand-building, guiding poor villages to create 46 star-rated rural tourist areas in Guangxi.

In addition, a number of publicity and promotional activities on rural tourism were successfully held during the year. The collective economic income of poor villages has made a major breakthrough.