Wtown visits approach pre-epidemic numbers

Bookings for Beijing's Wtown resort have rebounded by up to 95 percent as COVID-19 relinquishes its grip on the country, says Wang Zuoquan, an official with the attraction.

The destination built to resemble a traditional canal-laced Chinese "water town" reopened in suburban Miyun district on April 23 after being closed from late January to mid-April.

Most visitors are from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.

"A lot of people have called to ask about safety and packages," Wang says.

Wtown has optimized routes and required advance bookings to avoid overcapacity and ensure safety.

Online payments and prerecorded audio guides are being used to reduce face-to-face contact. Visitors must show their health QR codes and IDs, and undergo temperature checks, the resort's management says.

Personnel's health conditions are also monitored, and facilities are sterilized regularly.

"They did a really good job in terms of control, and we feel very much protected and safe here," says Noah Fraser, China managing director of the Canada China Business Council Offices.

Fraser underwent the necessary health checks, including using a health-kit app in WeChat. He also answered an in-depth questionnaire from the hotel to prevent infection risks.

"You can't go into a mall, or an office building or a park without getting your temperature taken," Fraser says.

"I would rather have those measures in place and have those small inconveniences than bear risk of an outbreak."

Fraser was among more than 30 international guests invited to the water town in early May. They included government officials and business representatives from Croatia, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and Austria.

"The water town is only a few years old but does look thousands of years old under the shadow of the Simatai section of the Great Wall," Fraser says.

"It's an incredible vista, a feast for the eyes."

Fraser says he enjoyed his stay.

"We had a beautiful hotel room overlooking the Great Wall," he says.

"It's all very modern and clean, and five-star all the way."

Wtown developed new products featuring health and nature during the shutdown, Wang says.

"More focus will be given to the quality of travelers' experiences," he adds.

Products targeting families, featuring the Great Wall and different hotel experiences, will be launched.

The scenic spot has continued working to boost inbound tourist visits over the years.

It received more than 100,000 visits by international travelers in 2019, up 30 percent compared with the previous year, Wang says.

More products and services will be developed to cater to the needs of guests from different parts of the world, Wang adds.

Beijing received 4.63 million tourist visits during the recent May Day holiday from May 1 to 5, about 55 percent of the same period last year, Beijing's culture and tourism bureau reports.

Tourism income reached 4.18 billion yuan ($586.5 million).

About 666,000 travelers made trips to the city's suburbs, generating 79 million yuan in tourism revenue.

The country is poised to reopen public places and entertainment venues in an orderly fashion, according to a State Council guideline issued in early May.

Shopping malls, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and other public places will fully reopen after adopting epidemic-prevention measures, the guideline says.

Meanwhile, outdoor spaces, including parks, scenic spots and sports venues, will be opened through appointments and with visitor-number restrictions.

The guideline also says that indoor sites, such as libraries, museums and art galleries, as well as entertainment venues like movie theaters and arcades, may host meetings and exhibitions when necessary.

Fraser says he has seen lots of energy on Beijing's streets.

"I've really been enjoying going out to restaurants, freely getting on the subways," Fraser says.

He believes the capital's intensive disease prevention and control "worked really well" from a "big picture" perspective.

And Fraser expects China's tourism industry will continue to boom.

"I think, in the long run, Canadians would really love to come to China," he says.

"We're engaged in the culture, and we have a lot of Chinese people living in Canada... We've got a long history of cooperation."