5A: China has upgraded 12 locations to its highest rank of tourist destination. Photo / Getty Images
5A: China has upgraded 12 locations to its highest rank of tourist destination. Photo / Getty Images
China has not made it easy for foreigners to visit. However they want you to know what you're missing out on.
This weekend the Ministry of Culture and Tourism elevated 12 new destinations to their highest rating: 5A.
When you have 2.5 billion domestic tourists a year, you need to be able to promote the right areas which have the infrastructure to cope with the interest and will not disappoint.
The People's Republic of China has a national Tourist Attraction Rating system (旅游景区质量等级) for ranking the best and worst attractions the country has to offer. Ranging from 1A lowest to 5A highest - it's a comprehensive guide to some 2642 attractions of national significance.
It functions like any other ratings system, indexing locations on safety, cleanliness, sanitation, shopping and transport based on their distance to the nearest airport. Natural wonders and beauty are also graded.
However, unlike many other countries, it also grades destinations on visitor numbers.
When visiting a AAAAA attraction don't expect secluded beaches and exclusivity. 5A attractions are rated for 600,000 annual visitors, including overseas guests, whereas 3A is only rated for half as many 300,000 visitors. It's something to
The new inclusions on the 5A list put them on equal footing with Beijing's Forbidden City or the Great Wall at Badaling. They include natural and cultural attractions without mainland China.
The Qutang Gorge, Hubei province. Photo / Shane Young, Unsplash
The Baidi City Qutang Gorge Scenic Area
Chongqing municipality in southwestern China, the gorges along the Yangtze River are at their most impressive here. The vertical cliffs make up one of China's famous Three Gorges in western Hubei province.
The Silver Rain Tree a 17-metre-tall natural column in the Guizhou Zhijin Caves. Photo / Getty Images
Guizhou Zhijin Cave National Geopark
Discovered in 1980, the cave is massive network of tunnels, stretching for 13.5km in all directions. The star attraction is the Silver Rain Tree. Standing at 17 metre tall, the coloured stalagmite brings visitors from across China.
The lotus fields of Weishan are a symbol of the region. Photo / Joy Yu, Unslpash
Weishan Lake National Wetland Scenic Area
Asia's most expansive wetland. In 2008 ecologists and engineers began repairing the ailing wetlands, which had suffered from industrialisation and habitat deterioration. Since then it has become Shandong province and eastern China's most successful eco attraction. It is home to cranes and the lotus flowers which are a symbol for the eastern region.
Grand Waterfalls Scenic Area, Hubei Province. Photo / Getty Images
Three Gorges Grand Waterfalls Scenic Area A 10km long gorge of waterfalls cut through the scenic area in Hubei. It's a landscape that looks like it belongs in a James Cameron fantasy movie. You'll regularly see groups of coloured ponchos venturing into the spray from the enormous falls.
300km East of Wuhan, after a pandemic that put the city on the map, Hubei is hoping to attract plenty of vengeance tourists.
Huangyao old town in Zhaoping County, Guangxi. Photo / Getty Images
Huangyao Ancient Town
Located in Guangxi Zhuang AR in southern China, the Ancient Town dates back to 960AD. While most of the buildings are more recent - from the 1700s - it's like stepping back in time. The old town first started bringing in tourists in the 1990s, nostalgic for historic China. Framed by steep mountains and streams, it appeals to romantics.
The Tulip bloom of jiangbulake scenic spot, Xinjiang Uygur. Photo / Getty Images
Jiangbulake Scenic Area
The nature reserve in Xinjiang Uyghur is a controversial inclusion in the updated list. The great rolling meadows of western China look like something from Little House on the Prairie. The spring bloom of tulips is a phenomenon that China is keen to encourage tourists to visit. However, despite the undeniably beautiful scenery it is also the setting for ongoing disputes with the Uyghur population.
As recently as last year the Hilton hotel chain was threatened with a boycott over building a hotel in the region, over the rights of local muslims in north west China.
Still it's a region many tourists are venturing into. Jiangbulake means "Source of Holy Water" in Kazakh. A language shared by the Uighurs and neighbouring Turkic countries.
China's 12 new stars of tourism
Anren Museum Town Baidi City Qutang Gorge Scenic Area Guan'egou Scenic Area Guizhou Zhijin Cave National Geopark Huangyao Ancient Town Scenic Area Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River Jigong Mountain National Nature Reserve Jiangbulake Scenic Area Sanbai Mountain National Scenic Spot Taizhou Fucheng Cultural Scenic Area Three Gorges Grand Waterfalls Scenic Area Weishan Lake National Wetland Scenic Area.
