Ecotourism Chinese Style

A really interesting article appeared in the Guardian (UK) this past weekend looking at the 'green shoots' of ecotourism taking hold in China. The author mainly pottered around the ecotoursim 'hotspot' of Yunnan Province for the article, and talks fairly glowingly of some of the community efforts to kickstart western-style ecotoursim in the area.

Trekking around Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and visits to Lijiang seem to be fairly high on his list. Interesting to note the author went to Wenhai Lake Ecolodge, where we also went last summer.

But of most interest are some comments toward the end of the article. A Chinese ecotour operator says 'Chinese tourists don't yet understand the concept of ecotourism. They like modern hotels with plenty of TV channels, not a Naxi village with chickens running around. They want access by road, not foot'. This is certainly the impression that I got in the area too; most of the tourists doing the really strenuous hikes and staying in remote lodges were westerners, not Chinese.