Mount Everest Town: Villagers Eating "Tourism Meals" and Embarking on the Road to Wealth

On September 6, the interview team of Xizang trip, the chief editor of the national provincial party newspaper, came to Everest Town. Looking up, it was the town's wide and smooth asphalt road, beautiful civilian houses, and endless tourists... In recent years, Dingri County, Shigatse City, closely focused on the goal of building Everest Scenic Area into a "world-class nature reserve and world-class ecological scenic area" that is "the most ecological, humane, intelligent, harmonious, and beautiful", to promote the integrated high-quality development of ecological, cultural, and tourism in Everest Scenic Area, so that the people growing on this land can eat "tourism meals" and walk on the "road to prosperity".

The infrastructure is constantly improving, and tourists are flocking in

Zhaxizong Township is about 49 kilometers away from Mount Everest, with an average altitude of 4200 meters. It is a necessary route to tourist attractions such as Mount Everest, Luozi Peak, and the eastern slope of Mount Everest - Gama Gou, which is one of the "Top Ten Scenic Spots in the World". Every year, many tourists pass by for sightseeing, mountain climbing exploration, and scientific research. The geographical location is unique and the resource advantages are outstanding.

However, for a long time in the past, due to inadequate infrastructure and long distances, local people were living in poverty with a "golden mountain" in their arms.

Gesanta, 29 years old this year, also grew up in Zhaxi Zongxiang. He told reporters that when he was young, the roads were all dirt roads with poor road conditions and uneven potholes. On rainy days, there is severe waterlogging and the ground is muddy. Due to inadequate transportation and facilities, there are not many tourists.

To enable the people of Zhaxi Zongxiang to have a "tourism meal" and embark on the road to prosperity. Dingri County has increased investment in infrastructure, further strengthening local infrastructure such as transportation, energy, and communication. At the same time, Dingri County fully utilizes its unique world-class ecotourism resources and unique natural environment to officially launch the construction of "Zhufeng Town" in Zhaxi Zongxiang, focusing on creating a core landmark of the "Huan Zhufeng Ecological and Cultural Tourism Circle".

Since then, the town of Mount Everest has attracted more and more tourists. From January to July 2023, the North Gate of Mount Everest Scenic Area received a total of 249463 tourists and generated a revenue of 36.266 million yuan. The total number of tourists in the county has exceeded 420000, achieving a total tourism revenue of 210 million yuan.

The wave of returning home for entrepreneurship is surging, and the income of villagers is gradually increasing

"People need to have the courage to go out and see the world, as well as the choice to come back and build their hometown. Due to the convenient conditions near the Mount Everest scenic area, and considering that doing a good job in reception work near Mount Everest is a window and docking platform for showcasing Mount Everest tourism in tourism, after graduating from university, I decided to return to my hometown to start a business." Gesanta also said.

Since 2020, Gesanta has taken rapid action by opening tea houses, ethnic cultural performance halls, and hotels in the town of Mount Everest, and recruiting multiple local employees.

Not only Gesanta, but also Rob, are enjoying the benefits of tourism development. Rob, who graduated from college in 2015, wanted to start a business but his family did not support him at the time. And he saw that with the strong support of the government, the tourism industry in Everest Town was developing better and better, so he insisted on opening a supermarket in Everest Town.

"I used to have no shops here, but now there are more and more, including mine, which makes me feel proud." Rob said, "The employees in my supermarket are all locals, including a college student. I hope I can not only provide them with employment, but also take them to launch their hometown and contribute to the tourism industry in my hometown."

The reporter learned that currently, there are a total of 120 hotels in Dingri County, with over 310 employees. Among them, more than 250 local residents are employed. Catering, shops, and other facilities are spread throughout the county and various towns, and all residents are involved in employment, which has effectively driven the employment and income growth of some residents.

Fully tap into market potential and promote high-quality development of the cultural and tourism industry

Car photos, commemorative brochures, and bedside lights in the shape of Mount Everest... At the bustling north gate of the Mount Everest scenic area, Basang Dunzhu's cultural and creative products have attracted many tourists to stop.

Basang Dunzhu told reporters that the products are all designed by his brother, and the content is mainly based on local culture.

"This car mounted incense film is really special. I heard from the boss that the pattern on it is a Tibetan opera mask. I am currently searching for Tibetan opera related content online and want to learn more about Tibetan opera," said Mr. Ma, a tourist.

Basang Dunzhu said, "Every place has its own unique humanistic sentiments and customs. We hope that every visiting tourist can experience the most traditional and rich local culture."

In recent years, with the development of Xizang's tourism market, people are more seeking personalized, diversified, cultural tourism products and convenient and thoughtful tourism services.

Seeing this, Basang Dunzhu had a new idea. He plans to build a fixed day cultural and customs experience museum, starting from ethnic handicrafts, tourist souvenirs, characteristic clothing, characteristic dance and music, etc., to provide an interactive and immersive experience platform for tourists, and to encourage more villagers to participate and jointly embark on the road to wealth.

Yujia, a staff member of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Dingri County, introduced that the County Culture and Tourism Bureau has taken multiple measures to vigorously improve the ancillary facilities of the Mount Everest scenic area, promote the reception level of hotels and family inns, tap into unique culture, and launch cultural and creative products. They have launched a large number of high-quality tourism products and services, promoting the high-quality development of the Dingri cultural and tourism industry, and transforming the "geographical advantages" of landscape culture into the "dividends" of people's wealth and income.