Phoenix Peninsula gains key honor

The Qingdao Phoenix Peninsula earned the title of "national tourism and resort zone", placing Qingdao's West Coast New Area among the top resort destinations in China, said a local official.

"Leveraging the certification, we will continue to enhance the zone's service infrastructure, and integrate products, marketing and supervision to further boost the quality of our tourist products and build it into an internationally recognized coastal resort destination," said Wang Benjian, director-general of Phoenix Peninsula's administrative committee, which is in charge of the area's economic affairs and tourism development.

Phoenix Peninsula is 21 square kilometers in size and stretches out over 54 km of coastline that includes the 3.5-km Golden Beach, a national-level 4A scenic spot. The peninsula also incorporates Zhuchadao, a small island known for its fertile fishing ground that is 8.5 km off the coast, and Tangdao Bay, which is often compared to the "West Lake of the Sea" for its tranquility.

The Qingdao government has been cautious about the exploration of Phoenix Peninsula in a bid to preserve its resources and land. Most projects built in the zone are parks and resorts.

In recent years, tourism products in the zone have diversified, including a selection of high-end hotels, such as Wyndam, The Lalu and the Hilton, entertainment parks, yacht and cruise ship ports, sports centers and museums.

From last summer, Phoenix Peninsula has been the venue for the Qingdao International Beer Festival, and has China's largest coastal beer plaza.

Wang said the new development strategy for China's tourism industry recommended from the central government is comprehensive planning for an entire area instead of building a few tourist attractions, which is in line with Phoenix Peninsula's strategy to build a "tourism and resorts zone".

"It is a great opportunity for us to facilitate the zone's development and the new strategy will help us step forward to our goal of becoming a top domestic and internationally recognized resort destination."

(China Daily 04/29/2016 page10)