China Three Gorges Corp (CTGC) and Hubei Yichang municipal government has signed a partnership agreement to develop the three gorges area and Yichang City dam as an international tourist destination.
Under the agreement, both parties will jointly formulate a development plan and develop regional tourism resources. CTGC will invest one billion yuan(approx: US$160 million) in a joint tourism resource development platform and will raise RMB10 billion (approx: US$ 1.6 billion) in funding for marketization of the three gorges dam area and resources in the surrounding area.
Situated between Chongqing metropolitan area and Hubei province, the Yangtze River gorges are the only major gorge attraction in the world accessible by river cruises and as such have been marketed internationally as one of the “golden routes” by the China National Tourism Administration.
The strengthening of domestic tourism in recent years has also helped attract domestic visitors to the attraction geared for the mid to high-end markets.(Translation by David)
