China News Service, Hanzhong, March 28 (Reporter Yuan Xiuyue) "I am from Xi'an. I used to work as a hotel in the south. After I switched to B&B, I like to go to counties and towns. I have visited almost all districts and counties in southern Shaanxi, staying here. Dam is the last stop." Talking about his experience in running a B&B, Zhang Bo, the manager of a B&B in Liuba County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, said this.
Liuba County is located in the hinterland of the southern foothills of Qinling Mountains. It is small in area and has a total population of only 42,000. Due to its high altitude and limited terrain, it was once a national-level poverty-stricken county. But such a poor town has counterattacked with eco-tourism in recent years, and the homestay industry has become increasingly popular.
Liuba B&B.
There is a natural resource base behind Liuba’s butterfly change. The climate here is pleasant, with no scorching heat in summer and severe cold in winter. The forest coverage rate reaches 92.03%. The average number of days with good air is more than 360 days per year. As early as 2016, it was selected as the first "China Natural Oxygen Bar". The tourism resources and biological resources here are also very rich, and the cultural accumulation of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms is profound.
"Nowadays, many urban people are willing to return to the countryside, to be quiet and slow down, to put aside their usual impatience, and to recuperate their body and mind." Zhang Bo has many years of experience in the hotel industry. In his opinion, being a B&B in Liuba has many advantages. The natural endowment also benefits from the revitalization and utilization of local resources, as well as the exploration of institutions and innovation of services.
For example, Xiaoliuba Village aims to build a Loufanggou B&B cluster and adopts the "government + cooperative + operator" model. It has built 12 B&B yards and achieved a cumulative operating income of more than 10 million yuan. Among them, Xiaoliuba Village Collective The profit share is 3.26 million yuan, creating more than 43 jobs every year and helping to sell local agricultural products for more than 300,000 yuan.
Liuba B&B. Photo by Yuan Xiuyue
Luo Chao, deputy director of the Zibai Sub-district Office in Liuba County, said that in the past, there were many vacated houses and idle homestead sites in Loufanggou, Xiaoliuba Village. They followed the principle of "relatively contiguous, voluntary, paid, and convenient development" to promote the idle construction. Integrated utilization of resources. As the B&B business gets better and better, many villagers have begun to start B&Bs on their own initiative. He shared that the development of B&Bs has promoted the recruitment and return of talents, and 42 "new villagers" including Wen Tiejun, an expert on rural areas and farmers, and Chen Changchun, the founder of Seclusion Township, have settled in Liuba. Many young people have begun to return to their hometowns to start businesses. The youngest B&B operator is only 22 years old.
"Our B&Bs have grown from scratch, from existence to excellence, and now from point to line, we have formed ten distinctive B&B clusters. Now basically every town has B&Bs," Luo Chao said.
Up to now, a total of 164 households in Liuba County have independently invested in the development of homestays, with an investment of 256 million yuan.
There are several special places to stay in Liuba as a B&B. The reporter learned that in order to allow more B&B owners to easily "move in" in Liuba, Liuba County has also compiled the "Guidelines for Starting Bed and Breakfasts in Liuba County", which provides the location, required materials, handling personnel, processing situations, and Charges, processing time limits, etc. are explained in detail, and information such as precautions for B&B construction and operation, planning layout, warning cases, etc. are also compiled.
Liuba B&B. Photo by Yuan Xiuyue
Zhang Bo said that from the time he planned to open a B&B in Liuba until it was completed and opened for business, the local area has received very positive responses and services. "All procedures are handled by a dedicated leader or team. If you call us for any matter, it will be resolved quickly. The coordination ability is very strong."
In Liuba, a new profession "B&B housekeeper" has also emerged. Different from other service staff in the accommodation industry, "B&B butlers" not only clean rooms and cook meals for customers, but also often participate in various activities organized by B&Bs. In recent years, Liuba has launched the "Four Hundred" project, proposing to train 100 housekeepers, upgrade 100 farmhouses, develop 100 new homestays, and promote 100 people to start businesses.
"I used to work on construction sites in Xi'an and Chengdu, and also worked in an electronics factory in Guangdong. In 2019, I returned to my hometown because the elderly needed care. More than a month after I came back, I came across a housekeeper recruitment for a B&B developed by Loufanggou. Employment was successfully achieved," said Yang Jinxiu, a villager in Xiaoliuba Village. At present, the Liuba B&B industry has created more than 1,700 jobs and started businesses, with the average household income increasing by 1,600 yuan.
"Going to Liuba and staying in a B&B" has become a new fashion in tourism. In 2023, the average occupancy rate of B&Bs in Liuba County is 65%, and the county’s tourism reception and comprehensive income will increase by 12.33% and 18.57% respectively year-on-year.
Today, Liuba is allowing more and more people to stay. (over)