Wuhan’s Deputy Communist Party Secretary Mr Tu Yong visited some of the most popular rural tourist spots in the city’s administrative area on 29 March and called on local tourism officials to seize the opportunity brought on by the new Wuhan-Guangzhou high -speed railway and develop rural tourism into a thriving new industry.

The high-speed passenger rail line, which started operation on 26 December 2009 after four-and-a-half years of construction, has reduced the journey time between the two cities from 11 hours to just under three hours.

More than 20 travel agencies in Wuhan attended an international tourism trade fair in Guangzhou between 24 and 26 March in an effort to attract more tourists on the back of the new railway line. In recent years, rural tours in Wuhan, which involve staying at a farmer’s home, have been gaining in popularity. Last year alone, the number of people going on such tours to Wuhan exceeded 10m, bringing total revenue of more than Rmb1.5bn, up 18.4 per cent year-on-year.