One of the China's first-class tourist cities, Dali is located in the center of Yunnan, the southern end of the Hengduan Range of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. It covers an area of 1,468 square kilometers, and has a population of 480,000. It is home of more than 20 ethnic groups, including the Bai, Han, Hui, Yi, Tibetan and Naxi, of whom the Bai accounts for 65 percent. Dali is well known for its literary scholars and their works, and is called the "Geneva of the East" for its long history and colorful culture, numerous cultural and historical sites, beautiful natural setting, comfortable climate, and rich natural and tourism resources. It is one of the 24 state-level cultural and historical cities and one of the 44 top tourist attractions in the country. The Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake were named national nature reserves in 1993. The Dali Tourism Bureau, under the local government, was established in January 1985. With 15 employees, it is located at 245 Fuxing Road, in the ancient city of Dali. It has General Office, Business Section and Comprehensive Services Section. Under it, there is Tourism Administration and Inspection Brigade, the Dali Hotel, the Dali Hongshan Tea Shareholding Co. Ltd., the Xizhou Village Hotel and the Dali Customs Travel Agency. The administration has published A Tour Guide of Dali, Introduction to Dali, Map of Scenic Spots in Dali (Chinese-English), Landscapes of Dali, The Ancient City of Dali, General Introduction to Dali and Extensive Review of Dali.the administration has co-produced a TV film titled: Dali-An Ancient Capital, together with the Yunnan Provincial Tourism Administration. The Dali Tourism Bureau has also helped television stations from France, Germany and other countries to produce TV films about the local natural scenery and customs. In addition, it has exchanged tourism-promotion materials with a dozen of travel agencies of other provinces. The Dali Tourism Bureau has drawn up its 1994-2005 development plans based on local tourism resources, facilities and commodities. Since November 1996, the Dali Tourism Bureau has made continuous improvements in its services and facilities. Now there are 128 tourism businesses, 23 travel agencies, 275 tourist coaches and cars, six pleasure boats, 23 tourism-related restaurants and more than 70 tourist attractions. In 1998, the city received 4.27 million domestic and foreign tourists, of whom 67,600 were overseas tourists. The income from tourism totals 1.088 billion yuan a year. There are 130,000 people engaged directly or indirectly in the tourist industry. Dali's tourism services cover food and beverages, lodging tours, purchase of souvenirs and recreation. The development of tourism in Dali is attributed to the guidance of the Government and promotion of local residents. Tourism has been developed as a pillar industry of Dali. The construction of the Dali Airport and Customs Office, Guangtong-Dali Railway, Chuxiong-Dali and Dali-Lijiang Highways, program-controlled, wireless and mobile telephones, optical cable transmission systems and IC card phone booths have made Dali more attractive to domestic and foreign tourists, and a bright future unfolds for the area.
ChinaKindnessTour.com -- Your reliable China travel guide, we are specialized in China travel, city tour service. Here you will find Chinese city attractions, beautiful scenery, ancient history,food culture and ethnic groups.