LANZHOU, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Zhagana village, shrouded in a mist, was welcoming a fine day after heavy snow.
Dorje Thondup, a guesthouse owner in the village in Tewo County of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, was busy communicating with workers about details of the renovation of his guesthouse.
"Many tourists have complained about the small size and insufficient soundproofing of the rooms. We are currently working on renovations and upgrades to give visitors a better experience next year," Dorje Thondup said.
Zhagana village is a renowned destination that attracts throngs of tourists for its varied terrain and unique ethnic customs.
The village, with an average altitude of about 3,000 meters, earned a coveted spot on the United Nations World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO) "Best Tourism Villages" list for 2023 in October.
It brought a lot of changes to the village.
Dorje Thondup said they used to herd cattle for a living, earning 40,000 yuan (about 5,600 U.S. dollars) to 50,000 yuan a year.
Things improved a lot after the local government made great efforts to upgrade the infrastructure and living environment to foster eco-friendly businesses and create diversified career choices for locals.
To boost tourism, the narrow dirt roads in the village have been revamped into paved roads, and old houses have been rebuilt or renovated into new ones. Dorje Thondup's shabby bungalow was renovated into a cozy villa with Tibetan ethnic features.
Villagers like Dorje Thondup sniffed out the growing business opportunities in catering and accommodation as more visitors poured in. In 2014, he opened a guesthouse, receiving swarming tourists during peak seasons.
"Compared with the older generations, who lived on herding only, we now have more opportunities and bigger visions," Dorje Thondup said.
From January to November this year, Zhagana village received more than 1.8 million visitors, up 277 percent from the same period last year. The whole county of Tewo generated a tourism revenue of about 2.1 billion yuan in the same period, up 211 percent.
The tourism boom is reflected in the account book of Dorje Thondup. He has raked in a gross income of over 800,000 yuan this year.
The award has boosted the villagers' confidence, and prompted the local government to further tourism development by attracting enterprises to invest in the tourism sector.
The cold winter has not deterred tourists from seeking out picturesque scenes. A tourist who returned to a guesthouse in the village after hiking and only gave his surname Wang was impressed by the tranquility of Zhagana.
"I was once worried about the bad road conditions and poor accommodations," Wang said, adding that his worries were swept away when he saw villagers clearing snow from the wide roads and felt the warmth of the guest room with underfloor heating. ■
