NYAA question:
Does Yangshuo rely on tourism as part of its economy, and if so, how does the rock climbing opportunities affect it?
Although the towns aren’t big, Yangshuo is a very popular tourist destination, especially among Chinese tourists. There are loads of opportunities for tourism and the beautiful scenery is a huge selling point for tourists. It hasn’t been completely taken over by tourists like some places, which means it is free from over commercialized attractions or souvenir shops everywhere like places such as Paris or some areas in Thailand. This made it a great place for holidays and tourists, as it wasn’t too busy, but there were still enough motels, hotels, cafes and bars as well as tour groups for travellers to be able to explore without getting too lost. Many businesses relied completely on tourists, such as night markets and day markets that sold stuff specifically marketed to tourists. There were a lot of these markets and they seemed like a very important part of the towns. I felt that it would be a good place for family holidays as there are lots of things to do, with karst peaks, rivers, caves, and temples to visit, and the area is clean (compared to the rest of china) I think tourism is really important in Yangshuo, and without it the area would certainly suffer, as much of its income would be lost, and lots of people’s jobs rely on helping out tourists.
From what I saw, the rock climbing opportunities definitely affected loads of tourists. Many of the other tourists I saw were at the different rock climbing walls, and when we were at a restaurant one night, the couple I asked said they travelled to Yangshuo for the rock climbing. There are loads and loads of different places to rock climb, more than I imagined, and every single one I went to was full of tourists and travellers. On the first night of my expedition, we watched a video about an annual rock climbing festival thing, where loads of tourists and avid rock-climbers gathered to either climb or watch others climb. There was also reminders of rock climbing in other parts of the area, for example outside the inn we stayed in on the last night in town, there was a bouldering wall which any guests or customers could use. My experiences are confirmed by several tour guides and websites, for example www.chinahighlights.com, which labels Yangshuo as “the most popular rock climbing destination in China.” Famous climbers such as Todd Skinner and Chris Sharma have visited Yangshuo, which attracts loads of fans and avid climbers, desperate to try the routes that they set. From what I experienced, rock climbing is one of the most popular attractions in Yangshuo. I feel like without it, most of the people who go to Yangshuo might not bother, including our school.
